Soul Shadow
by H.J. Bender
Summary: Link returns to his childhood and grows up peacefully in Kokiri. But as time catches up to him, it is soon made clear that not all is well. Something is out there, a shadow and a whisper of a vague and distant memory... ON HIATUS
1. Conceived in Darkness

In the days of creeping darkness, long after the sudden silence descended upon the Lost Wood, and after the waterfalls of Zora River froze solid, and after the plains of Hyrule Field became ever-shrouded by a cover of ominous clouds, the sires of the Shadow were strong and fertile. When the evils of Ganondorf Dragmire were beginning to poison the kingdom of Hyrule like the festering wound from an arrow, the long shadows that followed the lone figure of a young man with golden hair conspired with the venomous malevolence in the Gerudo Lord's wake, and brought forth a being of shadow.

This being had no consciousness, no mind, no sense of self; for it was spawned from unknown origins and guided by instinct and hunger alone. It knew not the meaning of fear or pain, and it worried not of death. But though its fabric was wrought together by the Dark Powers, this in itself did not make it evil. The shadow knew only yearning and need, but for what, it knew not.

And so it followed the steps of its shadow-maker, for it had no other place else to go. But somehow, somewhere along the way, the shadow became separated from its owner and wandered about in the night, lost and hungering for its master.

Ganondorf discovered this shadowy being shortly before he commandeered and infiltrated the underwater temple of Lake Hylia, and recognized its potential as a tool to destroy his strengthening foe, the Hero of Time.

And thus, using his necromantic powers, Ganondorf bestowed to the shadow a raiment of flesh and blood and bone in a countenance that reflected its own lost master, and kept it locked within a room filled with illusions of the grim world above: a bleak spit of narrow land with a single leafless tree amidst an endless mirror of still water.

Ganondorf whispered lies to the being day after day, promising that the thing it so greatly desired lay in the destruction of an intruder, the one with golden hair, a sword, and a fairy. The being, now with dark eyes of its own, understood these lies only through its hunger that gnawed at the emptiness within it; and so it waited as it had been told, watching with new eyes for the intruder whom it would destroy.

The one with the golden hair.

* * *

Link was not afraid when he found himself in a vast room, ankle-deep in water as far as the eye could see. He looked up but saw no sun, although there was light. It was puzzling, to say the least. A dense fog drifted all around him; Navi fluttered out from beneath the folds of his hat to scan the surroundings as well.

"Be careful, Link," she admonished softly. "I fear we are not alone."

"Yes, I felt as much," he replied, having been aware of a presence from the moment he first entered the room.

He took a few wary paces forward, staying alert and keeping his eyes moving. Soon they came to rest upon the dark form of a gnarled tree—an island in fact. He walked closer and inspected it to find nothing unusual, at least in this strange world of oddities that Hyrule had become. He ventured across the room and found that it was not as vast as he had thought; it was merely an illusion. On the other side was a door, but it was locked. With a sudden heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach, he recognized that this was indeed as he had feared: something was in the room with him, but what he could not imagine.

"Mind my sword," he instructed the fairy as he turned from the door and slowly drew the impressive blade. "I've no idea where the enemy may strike first and I don't want to risk hitting you. Be my eyes, Navi. I can hardly see through this mist . . ."

The eyes that had been watching Link from within the shroud of fog manifested the sword it had seen him unsheathe, thoughts consumed with nothing but destruction for what it saw: the Intruder, the One with the Golden Hair.

_Golden_?

The shadow hesitated, momentarily perplexed. There was something different about the intruder, something that its animalistic mind could not comprehend. He seemed so real, so much more solid than the world of gray haze and darkness that it had known; this figure seemed heavy and alive. He produced sounds, and his footsteps caused the water to churn and make waves. He breathed and blinked his eyes that were filled with color—_color_. Everything about him was color: gold and blue and brown and white and beige, and how he shined! It was unlike anything the creature had seen in its world of grays and sickly greens, and for a moment it knew fear for the first time.

But then the deceitful whispers—the empty promises—came back to its memory and it tightened its shadowy hand upon the hilt of its sword. This creature, no matter how strange or beautiful it was, had to be destroyed. Only then would the hungry fires be quenched.

And so it struck without thinking, and the beautiful creature countered and struck back. Again and again the shadow repelled the blows without concentration. It stared into the blue eyes on the other side of its sword, contemplating how something could not change its shape yet convey a variety of . . . _things_. The shadow knew nothing of emotion, but an idea began to form in its very basic mind, the idea that this creature had something that made him unlike anything else the shadow had ever seen. It lay beneath those blue eyes, a live thing like fire and air and light. _Light_.

As they fought, the shadow was reaching into the depths of Link's eyes and learning, drawing out pieces of him in the form of actions and reactions, movement, voice, color, form, emotion, _ soul_. The more frustrated Link grew with his deflected attacks, the stronger his opponent seemed to become, feeding off of their encounter like a parasite upon an angry host. The shadow became excited the more it learned, knowing that _this_ was what it had so desired since its creation. But one thing it did not realize it was taking in was the basic nature inherent within every living soul: fault.

In that moment, the shadow became a person. No longer was it a mindless vapor that acted upon instinct and need; it had to think and to reason and to act on its own, and that was where it—_he—_fell.

Link finally spotted vulnerability in his foe and sent the dark blade flying in an arc from his hand, where Link then caught it. The shadow cried out in a voice very much like the figure he was mimicking, and grasped the hand that was now bleeding profusely across the knuckles. Link did not waste a moment in pressing close, driving his opponent's sword deep into his shoulder; the shadow gasped, indeed, he breathed for the first and last time, and he grasped his own blade in his unwounded hand, clenching it until black blood ran down to the hilt and across Link's fingers.

It was warm.

Link looked into the face of his foe, his shadowy reflection, and saw nothing within the dark, empty eyes. Only a shimmer of light, unborn tears perhaps, and then they rolled back.

Link felt his skin crawl, and he pulled the sword from his enemy's body and let it fall into the water. It splashed and then was still. A dark mist—almost like a thin trail of smoke—rose from the prostrate body and melted away into the surrounding fog. Link allowed the bloodstained sword to drop from his hand and he sheathed his own blade again, turning toward the now unlocked door.

Navi was perturbed. "That thing, it looked just like you . . . Link? Link, are you all right?"

The shaken young warrior did not answer until they reached the door, whereupon he turned and gazed out at the realm of mist. He said quietly, "I feel as if some part of me just died out there, Navi."

And as the door closed itself behind him and his quest continued on, he had no idea how precise his words had been.


	2. Days of Future Passed

It had ended.

Hyrule had at last been freed from Ganondorf's wicked grasp, and all peoples of the country rejoiced. Princess Zelda quickly assumed her position in the monarchy once more and commissioned the rebuilding and restoration of all that had been damaged and destroyed over the seven long years of darkness. Her first task, however, was to offer her gratitude to Link, the Hero of Time, who had sacrificed so much and risked his life to defend a land he could have easily turned his back upon.

But Link's time in the hero's light was to be brief. Zelda disclosed to him that he had forsaken seven years of his life and needed to be sent back in order to live those years as they should have been, under a free and prosperous Hyrule. Though he did not argue with the Princess, Link felt a faint sense of betrayal in his heart, like the expendable soldier who had fought his part in the war and was now no longer needed. He wanted to stay here and now and enjoy the peace that he had helped create, but Zelda was adamant in her decision.

"Do not begrudge me this, Link," she said kindly. "We will meet again. And this time there will be no war waiting for you. Only peace." And so, with sadness in his heart, he accepted Zelda's kiss upon his brow and returned the Master Sword to its place. He found himself amongst his Kokiri friends once again, his quest to save Hyrule naught but a memory that faded more and more as time passed, until it came to him only in dreams or faint sensations of déjà vu.

And so young Link continued on with his life in the Lost Wood, blissfully unaware of what he had gone through to save the future that had now become his present. And while the Water Temple at the bottom of Lake Hylia was cleansed of all traces of Ganondorf's evil, the secret room at the end of the labyrinth of halls and passages remained untouched, undisturbed, unmentioned. It was lost to time and memory, for all those who knew of its existence had been destroyed.


	3. Leaving Home

Years passed, and slowly Link became aware that he was not like the eternally childlike people whom he had known since his birth. It simply could not be denied any longer, and as he reached his fifteenth year, Saria, his best friend in all the world, knew within her heavy heart that she would have to tell Link who he was and where he had come from. Taking her tall companion by the hand, she led him to the clearing where the Great Deku Tree once lived, and where the Seedling Deku was now happily growing.

They sat together on the soft green grass and Saria told Link the story of how he had first come to the Lost Wood as a small baby held in the arms of his mother, a woman whom had fled the attacks that claimed the life of her soldier husband during the dark years of civil unrest in Hyrule. Link was not a Kokiri; he was a common Hylian. His mother had encountered the people who dwelt in the forest and given Link to them, for she knew of the legend that surrounded their realm: those who went in never came out again. This was indeed true of adults, and so Link's mother was doomed the moment she chose the wood as her sanctuary from the enemy—for she was thinking not of her own life, but for the life of her infant son. With her last breath she passed her baby into the care of the Kokiri before her body took root into the ground and became a tree.

The elfish Kokiri sheltered the baby Link and raised him as their own. It was little wonder why he never felt like he fit in; he was the fairy-less boy, the outcast, the loner. Only Saria ever offered him friendship and care that could truly pass in the place of family.

But now it seemed that that was all going to change. With tears in her eyes, Saria took Link's large hands in her own small ones and told him that he could not stay in the Lost Wood forever, that he must one day leave and venture into the world beyond, that that was where he belonged.

"But I . . . I'll still be able to come back and visit you again, won't I?" he asked hopefully.

Saria shook her head slowly. "Once you leave the forest you can never return. Once you pass into the world of adults you shall become one, and the ancient power that has protected the Kokiri does not differentiate friend from foe."

"So . . . I-" Link swallowed down the knot forming in his throat. "I'll never see you again."

Saria nodded and placed her arms about Link's broad shoulders, embracing him tightly; he held his dearest friend in his arms and together they wept in the sunlight-dappled clearing.

* * *

When at last Link stood upon the bridge in his sixteenth year, gazing at the path that led through the thick trees to the outside world, he turned to Saria and said his last good-byes, shouldered the small pack filled with all of his worldly possessions and a few rations of food, and thought he was going to be sick. He felt a small hand tug at his tunic, and he looked down to see Saria's bright green eyes shining with tears. She was holding her small wooden ocarina out to him.

"Take this," she said. "It's yours now."

"But . . . but this has been in your family for generations! It's the finest ocarina in all the village-"

"Link!" Saria was on the verge of either laughing or bursting into tears. "It belongs to you now. When you play it—and I know you won't forget all those silly songs of ours-"

Link laughed.

"I want you to think of me. So you never forget."

The tall young man kneeled down and gathered her into his arms. "I will never forget you, Saria. I promise I won't."

And then he stood, their hands parted from each other's clasp for the last time, and Link strode with bold steps across the bridge and down the path.

Saria watched and waited until his figure disappeared from view and his footsteps were lost among the birdsong and the soft whisper of the trees.

"I know," she said, clasping her hands over her heart and smiling sadly. "I know."


	4. The Outside World

The outside world was not as formidable to Link as he thought it would have been, certainly not in a wicked or ominous sense. It made him nervous, but his edginess kept him chipper and alert. Everything was business. Everyone had a job to do, some part to play in everyday life. Link often wondered what his part in life would be, or where he would fit into this new world of his. He found for the most part that people were kind if treated with respect, and cross if asked too many questions. He quickly learned to recognize thieves and pickpockets and to avoid them, and to know when he was being fed compliments by peddlers just so that he would buy their wares.

Link was never in one place for very long; he would stay a few days, work an odd job here or there or help out in exchange for room and board. He was always courteous and gentlemanly to those who were kind to him, and every now and then he would happen upon a face that seemed almost familiar to him. Like the jolly, absent-minded man who owned and ran Lon-Lon Ranch. Link knew it must have been from one of his dreams, but he puzzled over how he could have possibly known the man when he had never ventured outside of the Lost Wood.

In any case, Link was now a derelict, always moving, never settling, sleeping out under the stars and setting off the next day. It all sounded very romantic and exciting, but the fact was that it was generally dull most of the time and he got lonely. He missed Saria, even grouchy Mido who was always trying to outdo him. Once in a while Link would think that he saw a small, flying light in the corner of his eye, but when he would turn his head for a better look, it would be gone. It must be the dreams, he thought.

The dreams.

He didn't really know why he was wandering like this, back and forth like a lamb that had been separated from the flock, but he felt within his heart that it was only a matter of time before he found the reason, whatever it may be. Something inside of him was aware of it. it was as if the world had its own great clock that counted by the ages, slowly and steadily. And then there was Link's clock, much smaller in comparison, ticking much more swiftly than the world's. The time would come, he felt, when his own clock would syncopate with that of the world's, and for a few moments they would tick together in perfect unison before resuming their discordant paces with one another. In that brief moment, Link believed, he would find his reason, if he even had one.

But until then, he had all the time in the world. Or so he thought.


	5. A Fairy Friend

Link's reasons for beginning to believe that the hour of his revelation was soon approaching came on the night when he trudged into an inn from the pouring rain and decided to stay and wait until the weather cleared. He had boarded at this particular establishment on a previous occasion and found that its patrons were not always of the best sorts: gamblers, thieves, prostitutes, most of them worked out of or could be found hanging about the halls and stairs of the Gilded Goblet.

He put a few coins on the counter and shouldered past the smirking faces and tawdry inquiries of the women who haunted the stairwell.

"It's been a long while since I seen you here, handsome."

"Just staying the night," he replied with a smile and a nod.

"Alone? That's too bad."

"Shame for such a good-looking man like you to spend the night all by your lonesome."

"Yeah. In that big, cold bed."

"We could warm it up for you."

"Special two-for-one deal we're having tonight!"

"We'd certainly keep your hands full."

"And your mouth!"

There was a burst of raucous giggles, and Link tried to conceal his eagerness to be rid of them until he reached his room. "This is where I get off, ladies," he said upon arriving.

"Really? You haven't even paid yet."

"Oh, shut up, Rucia," one of the other girls snapped.

"I was jesting."

"Good-night, ladies," Link said, stepping into his room.

"Sleep tight."

"Be sure to let us know if you get lonely!"

"I'll do just that."

The door closed. The girls moped and made their way back downstairs, complaining to one another. "So much for that one. If he were the last man on earth the entire race would be doomed."

"I told you you'd never make it with him."

"Snog off."

"He don't sleep with anybody."

"You suppose he's queer?"

"No, just . . . different."

"Sounds queer to me."

"He seems sad."

"Must be sad to be wanderin' round all the time."

"Aye, at least even us strollers got a place to call home."

"I don't think he's sad."

"Why not? He's got every reason to be."

"Maybe he's already got a girl."

"Or maybe he's lost one."

"Ohhhhhhhhh," they all said in unison, followed by a brief silence.

"Well, if I had a rupee for every man I've lost I'd be the queen of this whole land."

"I hear you, sister."

"Aye, let's hit the bar. There's always fair game there."

"Ugh. _You_ may call it fair. They're mostly fat and ugly."

"Now, girls, remember: 'fair' is all in the eye of a well-paid beholder."

* * *

Link waited until he could no longer hear voices before tossing his knapsack upon the small wooden bed and lighting the lantern by his bedside. He removed his threadbare green cloak—soaked but otherwise intact—and hung it on a peg by the fireplace. Taking up the lantern, he crouched before the hearth and kindled a fire to warm the chill in the dreary room. Once the fire was steadily burning, he stripped down to the skin and hung his clothes to dry. He shook his head, wringing out the excess rainwater from his tousled blond hair. Then he wrapped himself in the rough blanket from the bed and sat before the fire, rubbing his hands over the chilled, moist flesh of his arms to warm himself faster.

He turned his head and gazed out of the poorly-molded glass window panes at the unpleasant night outside, grateful for the fire and dry bed no matter how unsavory the reputation of this inn.

For a long while he sat before the hearth, gazing into the hypnotic orange flames and reflecting pensively upon his travels, on this day of days particularly, for it marked the anniversary of his departure from the Lost Wood, two long years ago. It felt much longer to Link, more like three or four. Time was beginning to blur to him, and if he had not left upon his sixteenth year he would have surely forgotten how old he was. Of course, he never knew his actual date of birth; the Kokiri had decided upon the day that he was first brought to the Lost Wood to suffice for this, and for all Link knew they might be a year or two off, give or take.

_I could be eighteen, sixteen, twenty . . . I might never know for certain. I suppose it doesn't really matter. After all, age is only a number, isn't it? All I know is that I am caught in between, too old to be a child and yet too young to be a man . . ._

His thoughts returned to Saria, and he went to his knapsack and produced a leather pouch. Within it lay his most precious and priceless possession: the ocarina that she had given him. Reseating himself before the fire, he placed the ocarina to his lips and began to softly play a beautiful yet sorrowful song, a song from Kokiri Village, full of fond memories and unforgotten friendships. He poured out his heart and all of his sorrow into the wistful melody, for he had long ago decided that he was too old to weep. And so the ocarina cried his tears for him.

He was startled from his melodic eulogy by a door slamming down the hall and footsteps thumping down the stairs. Raised voices greeted his ears. All the activity made Link curious. He slipped his ocarina back into its pouch and took a dry pair of leggings out of his knapsack, hastily pulling them on and stepping outside his room. He descended the stairs with growing interest to find a small mob crowded about a table.

"Now, now!" an old man's voice exclaimed. "Don't go pokin' it like that! Give it some air, you chowder heads!"

"Looks like it's dead to me," someone said.

"I've never seen a live one before . . ."

"They don't usually live round these parts."

"Poor thing. Did it drown?"

"Must've just washed down from the rain gutters."

"I'll give you 200 rupees for it!"

"You're mad! It's as dead as your brain, Rosco!"

"Not as dead as you're about to be-!"

"Oh, shut yer yap. I'll give ya 125, best offer."

Link elbowed his way through the throng and found the old man who had spoken earlier sitting down, dabbing at a small, rain-drenched something lying upon a towel. It took a few seconds for Link to realize that he was looking at a half-drowned fairy.

His hair abruptly stood on end.

He had seen them all the time during his living with the Kokiri, but this was the first he had ever seen with its halo of light almost nearly extinguished. The body of the small being could actually be seen, such a tiny and delicate-looking thing with pale, almost pure white skin and pale yellow hair, probably as long as his thumb. It was laid out on the towel, its wings limp as wet paper, barely glowing, a sign that it was desperately clinging to life. Upon closer inspection, Link saw that it was a female fairy.

"Excuse me," he said, suddenly compelled for an unknown reason to save the poor creature or take down everyone who stood in his way, "I've lived around fairies my whole life. I think I can help."

"_You_?" the old man asked, raising bushy gray eyebrows. "Well, all right. But I don't think it will do much good. I believe she's already beyond our help." He surrendered his position at the table and Link sat down in his place.

He very gently picked the weightless body from the towel and held her in his hands. People stopped talking and stared. Link, who by some odd impulse felt the urge to narrate, explained to them, "The ties between humans and fairies are deeper than you think. There is an old legend that tells of how when the Goddesses were creating people to populate the new world, they started by making the fairies, which were perfect in every way. But there was a curious fairy by the name of Ket, and he often disobeyed the rules set by the Great Fairies to satisfy his curiosity. Eventually the Great Fairies were forced to take his wings from him, but they were merciful in their punishment; they made Ket larger than the rest of the fairies so that he would not be impaired by his small size.

"So he lived, and he walked the earth and was still great friends with his fairy brothers and sisters. But Ket grew lonely after hundreds of years, and he went to the Goddesses and implored them for a companion. The Goddesses agreed, but in turn he would have to trade his divine gift of eternal life. Ket was uncertain, but the Goddesses showed to him the image of his companion, whose name became Lan, and she was so beautiful that he immediately fell in love with her and gave up immortality to live with her on the earth.

"And so the legend goes that when the Goddesses saw the children of Ket and Lan they were filled with love for them, and moulded the bodies of humans in their image. Some people believe that the children of Ket and Lan mixed blood with that of divine-born humans, thus making certain people especially sensitive to fairies and fairy-kind. It is believed than anyone who carries a drop of Ket's blood has the power to heal fairies, for he was a great lover of his kind."

Rosco scratched his head. "I've never heard that one before."

"So I guess you think you've got a bit of fairy blood in ya, eh lad?"

"Yeah, where'd you hear that, anyway?"

"Old Kokiri legend," said Link. "Everyone knows it where I come from."

"Kokiri?"

"Never heard of the place."

"Do you mean Kakariko, the Sheikah village?"

"Will you shut up with your blathering, Ros? You're irritating the shit out've everyone."

"No I'm not!"

While the crowd bickered, Link returned his attention to the fairy in his hands. Her glow had grown stronger, probably more from the warmth of his hands than from any amount of fairy blood in his veins. Then to his surprise, the fairy stirred and sputtered, heaving out a great amount of water (at least a thimble's worth). She held onto Link's thumb as she crawled to her knees, still coughing and flitting her wings weakly. Once she had gotten the water out of her system, she slid herself across Link's palm and blithely took up the cuff of his shirt sleeve, drying off with it like a towel.

Link was transfixed by the fairy, and he felt lost in one of those moments of his again, those eerie déjà vu flashes that made it seem as if the whole world had stopped but he was still in motion. The fairy was drying her short white-blonde hair and gazing absently at Link's palm when she suddenly stopped and said in a high, familiar voice, "I know these hands. They have held me many times before . . ."

She looked up at the young man with her pale blue fairy-eyes. "Link!" she said with happiness in her voice.

Link's head was suddenly swimming. He felt dizzy. The room was still but he was moving.

The fairy stood upon his open palm and cried, "Link! Do you remember? It's me, Navi!"

He opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. The world before his eyes went black, and the last thing he was aware of was the sound of his own body as it hit the floor.


	6. Return to Hyrule

He came to slowly, rising out of the dark haze of unconsciousness to a brightly lit room and several faces hovering over him. He was lying on the floor, the underside of the table staring at him from his left. He blinked his eyes and noted a familiar taste in his mouth as he parted his lips and whispered, "What happened?"

"Here, now. Looks like he's back with us."

"The fairy boy's awake!"

"Told ya all he needed was a drop or two of red potion. He ought to be good as new."

Link was helped into an upright position by someone and then a bright globe of light came swooping down from above his head, hovering in front of his face. It was the fairy, Navi.

"Link!" she exclaimed. "You frightened me for a moment there! Are you all right?"

"I . . . suppose I am. You're certainly doing much better, I see."

"Nothing can keep a fairy down for long," she said cheerfully.

"Yeah, 'cept for a rainshower," someone muttered.

"Show some respect, you ignorant sod!"

"Ouch! That hurt!"

Link stared into Navi's bright glow, squinting his eyes and whispering in a voice so soft that only she could hear: "When did we meet?"

"You know me as well?" she asked, sounding astonished.

He shook his head. "My mind tells me we haven't, yet my heart knows better."

The fairy darted forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt, tugging impatiently. "Hurry and get up! There is much to explain and very little time to do it. Come now! You always were so difficult to get moving. I swear, you haven't changed a bit!"

* * *

It felt like old times, old times that didn't belong to him. Here he walked upon a familiar road that he had never walked upon before, the sun shining above in the cloud-speckled blue sky, and the green grass all around waving with each breeze that swept by. The forest was ever to his left, the rolling hills of Hyrule Field to his right. He felt as if he had crossed it a hundred thousand times and could find his way through it with his eyes closed, but his memory was empty of any recollection.

A few paces in front of him flew Navi the fairy, looping happily back and forth and humming occasionally to herself, or chattering away about the battles that had been fought on Hyrule Field or the geography of the region, or that one time when Link was first learning to bow-shoot on horseback and had fallen clean off of Epona and knocked his head against that big boulder over there and she had practically broken her wings trying to wrestle a vial of red potion out from underneath his unconscious body. What days were those back then!

Link wished they had been his. He wanted to believe they were. The stories that Navi had told him seemed fantastic, incredible, adventurous and reckless and filled with danger and heroism. Children's stories. He was beginning to see where the term "fairy tales" came from.

That night, two nights ago at the inn, Navi had said to him once they were alone, "Link, I am aware that you have no memory of me at all, nor of what I am about to tell you. But please wait and hear me out, and all will be explained in time, I promise you.

"Seven years ago the Great Deku Tree sent me to you with a quest that you were destined to fulfill. The evil Gerudo Lord, Ganondorf Dragmire, a necromancer and master of the black arts, was poisoning the land of Hyrule in order to obtain the Triforce, three sacred triangles created by the Goddesses. They are Power, Wisdom, and Courage. When united, the Triforce has the power to grant any wish the bearer desires. If the bearer is of pure heart and spirit, the Triforce has the power to create everlasting peace and prosperity, restoring the earth to the paradise it once was when the Goddesses first created it. But if the bearer was not of pure heart and his soul was filled with wickedness, it would have the power to taint and destroy everything Divinity ever created. It would be the end of all that is good and true in this world.

"You were chosen to defeat the evil lord, for it was written in the annals of history that a Hero would rise up and master Time itself to save the world if it ever became threatened by evil. I journeyed with you through forest, lake, fire, desert, and darkness, through time and sorrow and joy and victory. I was by your side when you were a frightened child, holding a small sword as you faced your first enemy, and I was by your side when you were a man, and as you smote Ganon down with the Master Sword.

"But it was not my decision to keep these memories hidden from you. Her Royal Highness Princess Zelda decided it would be in your best interest if you were relinquished of all memories, terrible and wonderful alike, before you were returned to the Kokiri. You must understand that it was for your own good, Link. You were much safer and happier not knowing of the perils you had faced in your adult life; it would have been too much for your young mind to bear."

"What gives me any reason to believe all this?" Link had asked. "How will I know you are telling the truth?"

"Come with me to the capital and you will see. The Princess is waiting for us there, and she will show you where your memories are kept."

* * *

It all sounded too unbelievable to be true, Link thought. Yet he knew that there was no better explanation for it all, his dreams, his flashbacks, his odd sense of having done all this before. Perhaps it was true. What now was he to think? The young man shaded his eyes as the high stone walls of the kingdom of Hyrule came into view.

"We're almost there, Link!" Navi cried. "Hurry now! No time to lose!"

He could not help but smile at his flying friend's animation. "You are certainly not like the other fairies of Kokiri."

"I should hope not," came her pert reply. "I journeyed to Hyrule many centuries ago from across the mountains."

"Quite a long journey for a fairy. I always thought most fairies were inclined to stay in one place."

"Yes, but I'm not what you would call 'most fairies'. I was a terrible troublemaker in my early decades. My family tried to find ways to keep me from wandering, but I was young and curious, and flew away from home. The world was so big and we fairies were so small—I simply _had_ to know what was out there. So I journeyed across land and sea, learning about fauna and flora and history, and even the darker sides of the world. I stayed in Hyrule for a time before making my way back home. Needless to say my parents were not very happy with me, and I soon felt the urge to roam again. This time my parents sent me to the Lost Wood to be a messenger for the Great Deku Tree, as I knew the region of Hyrule so well. I didn't want to go but they forced me, and thus I was chosen by the Deku Tree to be your fairy guide."

"I guess the fact that I'm here today is a good enough reason to say that he made a wise choice," said Link. "You must certainly be the granddaughter of Ket."

Navi laughed. "I wouldn't know myself, but anything is possible."

"How did you find me the other night?" he asked after a brief silence.

"I think it was one part blind luck and the other part your ocarina."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, don't be so naïve. You are learned enough in fairylore to know we have exceptional hearing."

"So there is some truth to the saying that a fairy can hear a needle drop a league away?"

"Perhaps that's stretching it, but I could easily hear your ocarina through the rain from quite a distance. You must understand, it's like a bellowing trumpet to a person of my size. If only I hadn't been blown into that gutter and gotten myself nearly drowned . . ." Navi flew toward Link and perched upon his shoulder, resting her wings for a moment. "You know," she said softly, "I was not sent to you merely to share memories and laughs; there is a reason why you were called to Hyrule." She fell silent.

Link could not help but to inquire, "Can you tell me?"

"There's a time and a place for everything," Navi said. "You will hear about it soon enough. But I will not withhold from you that the tidings are grave and ominous. Dark clouds have been gathering as of late, and a cold wind has begun to blow in the through Temple of the Sages. Perhaps even you yourself have grown aware of time as it ticks closer and closer to some unknown event lying in your future's wake. Whatever questions you have, I am certain that Her Highness will answer them."


	7. The Memory Remains

Link followed Navi through the gate of the great Hylian city and to the well-kept gardens of the courtyard that sat before the ancient stone face of the Temple of Time. From the moment he walked up the front steps he became aware of a force emanating from inside, a sense of power so strong and deeply rooted in the beginning of the world that Link felt suddenly very small and helpless, like an ignorant fool presented before a wise and omniscient lord. It made his flesh creep in both familiar memory and heart-pounding newness, for here, he was certain, was the epicenter of his dreams, the source from whence came all his feelings of déjà vu. Within these walls lay the store of memories he was living that belonged to someone he had never known, a Hero who had never been.

On the other end of the vast room, standing upon a broad dais with two sentries at her side, was Princess Zelda. Upon seeing Link she smiled openly and radiantly, her blue eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "Link," she said in a trembling voice. "It is so very good to see you again."

The young man knelt before her dutifully and spoke, "Your Highness."

"Please—there is no need to bow before me. Rise." He did so obediently, and Navi flew to Zelda's side. "Thank you for finding him, Navi," she told the fairy. "I hope your quest was not a perilous one."

"Perhaps a bit too much rain for my liking, your Highness, but nothing that I could not bear."

The princess smiled at Navi's reply, then gathered her skirts as she descended the steps to stand before Link. She took up one of his hands and held it in her own gloved ones, her face becoming taught with sorrow and her cheeks flushed pink with emotion. When she looked up into Link's eyes, tears rolled down her face.

"Why do I remember you," he asked softly, "when I have never met you?"

"Oh, Link," she said slowly, "words cannot describe the regret I feel for robbing you of your memory. I often wonder what would have happened had I allowed you to return to your home with remembrance as a souvenir of your journey. But I could not bear taking the chance of it destroying your life forever. You were only a child . . . I could not send you back with the nightmares and horrors to haunt you your entire life. The best I could do was hope that in time you would be able to forget it, and live your life as normally and peaceably as you could. I am sorry, Link. If I have ever caused you hurt or pain because of this, my apologies will go with you until the end of time."

"I would forgive you," he said, "if I was aware of what you have robbed from me."

Zelda took Link by the hand and led him up the dais and into a room beyond, dark but for a single broad shaft of light shining down from the stained glass windows. The rays poured onto a platform where a pedestal stood, the blade of a great and shining sword buried deep within it.

Link's heart pounded fiercely upon seeing it, and he knew without having to be told: "You hid my memories in this sword," he uttered, and the princess nodded.

"When you draw the Master Sword you will again become the Hero of Time," she said. "And so long as you bear that blade, you shall be endowed with all the memories you acquired during the course of your seven year quest. But Link," she added gently, "there is a reason why I have had to interrupt your life once more, and ask you to become a Hero that deep down inside, you always were."

* * *

"When Ganondorf was defeated and his reign of terror ended, the Seven Sages assumed that every evil created by the Gerudo King's hand was destroyed. Therefore, when the clock was turned back seven years to the beginning of his rule, it would be as if he never existed at all, and time would line up perfectly for the next seven years, much like tearing stitches out of two pieces of cloth and re-sewing them together again. Once time had aligned with the date of Ganondorf's defeat at your hands, all would be stitched together and done with, and the Sages could cease worrying."

"What did they have to worry about?" Link asked hesitantly.

Zelda lowered her head, as if already regretting the words she would next say. "The plan to reverse time was not our first option; it was our last resort. For although it would give Hyrule's people a chance to relive their lives the way they should have been, the smallest inconsistency would have the power to create a knot in the thread that was sewing the fabric of time back together. Thus it was necessary to not only remove your memories, but the memories of all those who had come into contact with you. Sadly, the Sages did not have the power to store the memories of all those people like we did with yours; they had to be erased, permanently. We simply could not take the chance.

"It seemed like a good idea at first. None of us expected that the smallest piece of Ganondorf's evil remained."

Link gazed out at the sword across the way. "But it did. And that is why you have called me back. To defeat the evil that was left behind."

Zelda nodded reluctantly. "For the first few years all was going well. Sage Rauru has kept a charted timeline of your quest to be certain that it is lining up correctly with the time that is passing now. And then, sometime just before you defeated Morpha at the Water Temple, time stopped syncopating. We cannot define what it was exactly that went wrong, but the Sages have sensed it, particularly Rauru and Impa, the Sages of Light and Shadow, respectively. Though the deviation cannot be seen, it will soon be felt by all, for if time has not aligned itself at the moment of Ganondorf's defeat . . . it is feared that the fabric of time will be ripped, and all the evil that was put away will flow back into this world tenfold, and the world and all in it will be destroyed."

Link struggled to find words, his mouth dry and his heart in his throat. "You've . . . So, so when did . . . How long ago was this problem spotted? When did it happen?"

"Just a few days ago," said Zelda. "We had no idea where to begin, so we called Navi and asked her to help us find you."

"But . . . but Navi remembers me. Why is that?"

"I'm an immortal creature, Link," said the fairy as she drifted down from above. "Time has no meaning to me, thus it cannot be given or taken away from me like a mortal's. When time was reversed at the end of your quest, it changed nothing for me since I will always stay the same. So I, along with all creatures of this grace, have held memory of you."

"Alas," murmured the princess, "a memory remains that should have been locked away within that sword. It has evaded our powers by some device, and if it is not destroyed soon, it will destroy _us_." She turned to gaze at Link imploringly. "I have no right to ask you to take up the Master Sword again, not after you've already risked your life to save this kingdom once before, and to whom we are still indebted. But we have no one else to turn to save for you, Link." She nodded toward the sword in the pedestal. "Your memories await you, and it is our hope that through them you will recall the memory that was left behind, and vanquish it before time runs out and the earth is thrown into darkness. Hyrule knows no other with the courage and strength such as you.

"And so I must ask you, Link, Hero of Time, will you fight for Hyrule once more?"

The young man was silent, staring out at the sword, before turning to Princess Zelda and placing his hand over his heart. "I will, your Highness," he stated firmly, "for as long as I am alive, and for as long as there is goodness on this earth worth fighting for." And then he bowed.

Tears welled in Zelda's eyes, and she darted forth to embrace him. "Thank you, Link," she whispered softly.

He gently pulled away and gazed at her resolutely, then turned and ascended the steps to the platform with certainty and determination in his gait. Entering the stream of light, he stood before the pedestal and grasped the hilt of the Master Sword in both hands. His fingers flexed on the worn leather, already remembering. He exhaled heavily and turned his face up toward the stained glass windows far above, staring directly into the light, fighting all the fear and uncertainty threatening to engulf his heart with a caliber of courage he never knew he possessed.

_If I am indeed this Hero, I will not fear; for all that is meant to be shall be, and Time cannot count the beats of this heart. _

And with these final thoughts, he planted his boots firmly and, with a short intake of breath, drew the Master Sword from the pedestal, brandishing its gleaming blade high above his head.


	8. In Search of the Lost Chord

A rush of seven years came flooding back to Link's mind the moment he pulled the Master Sword from its place. For an instant he thought he was dying, for his entire life flashed before his eyes in a matter of seconds, only it was the life he had never known he'd led, his second existence. Memory after memory pounded into his brain like a hammer-stoke, each face he had known flipping by like pages in a book; strangers, friends, and foes alike. His whole body tingled as if his very blood had turned to tiny points of light, and his hands remembered how to string a bow, and his feet to dance the steps in a hundred swordfights. The faces of evil ripped into his mind and froze his heart time after time, and the faces of his loved ones for whom he fought thawed it out again and again.

Though the whole process took only seconds, it felt like seven years to Link. As the last memory was sucked back into his mind, he trembled for a moment before the sword slipped from his numbed grasp. It clanged heavily onto the floor and echoed in the chamber. A second later he joined it, tumbling down as slowly as a snowflake, unconscious before he even hit the ground.

* * *

The first thing he was aware of, even before he opened his eyes, was a soft and familiar melody, lilting, soothing. It didn't sound like his ocarina, but a stringed instrument, like a lyre or a harp.

Blue eyes fluttered open drowsily and Link shifted his body with a sigh. He was looking at a raftered ceiling, and he knew that he was no longer at the Temple. He was, in fact, lying in a bed, and his head was absolutely killing him. "Nnhh," he groaned, wincing and placing a hand upon his forehead.

The music stopped and the flittering of wings could be heard. "Link! You're awake! It's about time!" came a small voice.

Link opened one eye and turned his head to see Navi flying happily about the lamp on his bedside table. But his eyes drifted, coming to rest upon the figure sitting at the fireside, a harp in hand. Link squinted his eyes. "Ze . . . Zelda?" he inquired.

The figure reached up and pulled down the cloth concealing the lower half of its face, and replied in a breathy murmur, "In another life, yes, you knew me as Her Highness."

Link sat up, alarmed, but the figure was an indiscernible silhouette, shadowy and mysterious. "Who are you? And where am I? What happened to me?" he demanded.

The figure stood slowly and placed the harp upon the stool, then moved across the room to stand beside the bed. "We have never met, but you know me all the same." The figure sat down on the bed, and the light from the lantern finally revealed its familiar face: pale golden hair and ruby red eyes, but a mouth that Link had no memory of ever seeing. "I am Sheik, and you are in Kakariko Village. You fainted at the Temple of Time before we could be properly introduced; Her Highness had urgent business to attend to with the Sages and left you in my care."

"You remember Sheik, don't you?" Navi asked, flying in and landing upon the Sheikah's shoulder.

"Well, I . . . Yes, if only his form," Link stammered, unable to keep his eyes from going over the other young man's body searchingly, looking for feminine traits and finding none. He was clad in the same outfit emblazoned with the Eye of Truth, and most definitely male. "But aren't you really a girl?"

Sheik smiled slightly. "For a time, in a sense, I was; I offered my body to Her Highness when she was seeking shelter from Ganondorf's evil. We switched bodies, to put it simply. I, in Princess Zelda's body, was placed into a deep sleep by Impa and kept hidden away in the deepest part of Castle Hyrule. When the spell was lifted, I returned to my body and Zelda to hers, and my service was fulfilled."

Link had a lost, wounded expression on his face. "Is there anyone in this kingdom who hasn't yet deceived me in some way?"

"I'm sorry for misleading you," Sheik apologized. "I would have offered my assistance to your final battle against Ganon if I'd had the strength. In my condition I would have been a handicap to you, and you had enough on your mind to worry about."

Link sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I . . . It's all right. I just, I'm trying to keep my thoughts in order. My brain feels like it's been beaten with a club."

"Poor Link!" exclaimed Navi. "Well, now that you're awake we can give you some medicine for it."

"Yes, I tried to give you some potion but you kept coughing it up," said Sheik, who added with a momentary grin, "I was afraid I would have to administer it to you orally if you didn't wake up."

Link tittered uneasily.

"Your memories may still evade you," Sheik said methodically as he measured an odd-colored liquid from a vial into a spoon. "But that is to be expected. It will be a few days before you'll be able to remember things immediately." He held the spoon toward Link, who hesitantly opened his mouth and received the bitter-tasting medicine with a shudder and a disgusted face. Sheik laughed softly. "That is also to be expected, though I won't tell you what's in it until you're fully recovered. Can't have you vomiting, now can we?"

"I suppose not," he murmured. "Sheik, may I ask why . . . why are you here?"

"Her Highness assigned me to be your guardian as you journeyed to find and root out the evil that is endangering the world. I hope you are not so offended, being the Hero of Time. I know the Princess must worry for you traveling alone; if anything, she sent me to be a source of companionship."

"What about _me_?" Navi demanded. "I was his companion first!"

"Human companionship and fairy companionship are two different things, little bug," the Sheikah replied. "I'm certain you'd be glad for my company if he fainted yet again and needed to be carried."

"I do not faint so easily!" snapped Link indignantly. "I've never fainted in all my life, and suddenly I've done it twice in as many days."

"Five."

"What?"

"Five days," repeated Sheik. "You've been sleeping for three."

"Three _days_?" Link echoed in disbelief. "I've been . . . Three whole days?" He dropped himself back down onto his pillow, sighing heavily and placing a hand over his eyes. "This is all happening so fast. Things that took place last week seem like a hundred years ago."

"Sleep on it," Sheik said as he rose from the bed. "Tomorrow we set out for Lake Hylia, and you need to be rested for the journey ahead."

". . . Sheik?"

The young man glanced over in acknowledgment.

Link smiled gently. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Do you really need a reason?"

"No. I'm only curious," said Sheik, then paused for a while. "Would you like me to play a song?"

Link was about to decline, but the Sheikah had already resumed his position by the fireside with his harp in hand. Navi giggled softly and blew out the flame in the lantern, then nestled on one corner of Link's pillow. As Sheik's skilled, delicate fingers plucked out a soothing melody that brought to mind images of falling raindrops and glittering ice crystals, the Hylian felt himself grow sleepy, despite the fact that he had already slept so long.

So much was happening and so quickly, he thought fadingly. Who knew what tomorrow would hold in store for him.

* * *

They set out on horseback just before dawn and rode across the broad hills of Hyrule Field with the rising sun at their backs. Link, clad in his familiar green tunic that had been salvaged by Zelda along with several other items that he now carried, was in good spirits with his headache mended. Navi kept them in the right direction as she flew a few paces before them. All fairies were born with a perfect sense of direction, she jested, even the males.

Sheik remained quiet during most of the journey, and Link got the impression that his companion was very reserved and thoughtful, and he probably didn't speak unless he had something important to say. Link tried to make small talk with him a few times but Sheik's replies were monosyllabic and to the point, unless asked a question about the mission. Even then he was blunt, though his demeanor was not a cold one; for the tone of his voice was calm and not at all rude. He didn't seem to be too willing to talk about himself or his past, giving only enough information to validate himself and nothing more. Link wondered if he had any friends, but it wasn't the politest inquiry one should ask another after having only known him for a short while.

* * *

They reached the gates at Lake Hylia and dismounted just as the sun began to sink into the west. Link changed into the blue tunic given to him by the King of the Zoras, and strapped on his Hylian shield and sword. When he turned about, he noticed Sheik gazing at him reverently.

"You truly are the Hero of Time," he said solemnly, then turned without another word, leading the horses through the gate. Link took up his iron boots and followed, Navi fluttering in his wake.

They hitched the horses to the post outside the hodge-podge looking building that belonged to the scientist who did his research out at the lake. They decided not to bother the owner just yet and instead crossed the long rope bridge out to the tiny island in the center of the lake. As Link sat down upon the edge of the Triforce crest located there and pulled on his iron boots, he noticed Sheik removing a pair of sturdy looking cuffs from the small bag he had been carrying.

"What are those?" he asked.

Sheik tossed one up into the air and allowed it to hit the ground; with a heavy _thunk_ it made a dent in the hard earth, and the young man replied, "Lead and iron anklets, equipment for young Sheikah trainees, who sometimes wear them for several weeks without removing them. The uses for these in training lessons are many, including a five league run and river walking."

"River walking?" echoed Link.

"The Sheikah train hard for any situation, and sometimes holding your breath for five minutes at a time can mean the difference between life and death for you or the royalty you are serving. I require no tunic for underwater feats, though I mean no arrogance by it; you simply have not endured the physical training I have." Sheik then knelt down and locked both cuffs securely about his ankles. "So, in case you haven't already deduced, I'm coming with you." He stood again, and before Link could decline, said, "I have been assigned by Her Highness to not only accompany you on your quest but to also offer my protection."

Link was amused. "I think Her Highness forgets who I am."

"The Hero of Time may be strong, but he is not immortal. If the situation calls for it, I am willing to give my life for you, Link. If not for the Princess' peace of mind, at least for my own." His features changed and his words became soft. "Think of it as a debt I owe to you for all those times I could have helped you during your quest to save Hyrule from Ganondorf. For if I'd been able, I surely would have."

An awkward silence descended between the two young men, who gazed at each other for a while and said nothing that could not be spoken with their eyes. Navi finally said that it was growing late, and that if they hoped to be back on dry land before dawn that they had better get moving.

As Link, with his shield strapped to his back and the Master Sword in its sheath, prepared himself to plunge down into the murky depths of Lake Hylia, the last rays of orange light from the setting sun struck the surface of the water for a brief moment, making each small crest shimmer and glow like a thousand twinkling jewels. The shadows of the surrounding trees and rocks were stark in contrast to the glow of the sun. Link was startled by a hand upon his shoulder, and he turned to face Sheik, who looked suddenly worried.

"What is it?" he asked. "What's the matter?"

"How . . ." Sheik closed his crimson eyes for a few moments, as if trying to find a way to wrap words around his thoughts. "How long has it been since you have failed to cast a shadow?"

"What?" Link looked upon the ground where he stood, and though his back was to the sun, there was no shadow. "It's, it's just the way I'm standing . . . The angle of the sunset. Or maybe it's just the light from the water-"

"Link, he's right," Navi said in an alarmed voice. "You have no shadow."

The Hylian gazed at the ground like a page of indecipherable text, unable to find his words. Sheik was standing beside him, his long shadow stretched forth from his feet like a narrow carpet. Even Navi's tiny form cast a faint floating shadow upon the ground. But at Link's feet no darkness dwelled, nor shadows lay forth to give reality to his living body. He began to breathe heavily.

"It can't be," he uttered. "I'm _here_. You both can see me, can't you? I _am_ here, aren't I? I mean, there has to be an explanation for . . ." His voice trailed off, and his lips parted slightly. "My shadow . . ." He turned to stare out across the lake, pausing for a long while. "I know what's happening now; it's the evil, the one piece of darkness I thought I'd defeated. My shadow, my other half that I fought within this temple . . ."

Sheik murmured, "It's an age old proverb of many peoples that the hardest foe to defeat is always one's self."

"But Link, I saw you destroy it with my own eyes," said Navi. "How can it still be alive?"

"I don't know," he replied, gazing down into the water. "But if my shadow's will to live is anything like my own, then this fight shall be to the death." He turned to Sheik and drew his longshot. "Let's do this."

And Navi zipped beneath Link's hat as the young Hero calmly stepped off the island and plunged down into the dark water of Lake Hylia.


	9. The Shadow

The temple was not exactly as Link remembered it, mainly due to the fact that during his original quest he had spent more than half of the time lost or going in the wrong direction. In fact, had it not been for Navi's guidance he probably would have spent the rest of his life down there trying to find the way out. He was at least comforted by the lack of booby traps, Tektites, spikes and rotating shell blades flying after him.

As Link sat down to remove his iron boots in the main corridor after having pulled himself from the watery entrance, Navi flew out from under his hat and joined Sheik, who was standing at the mouth of the corridor and looking out into the main chamber of the temple, wringing the water from his platinum blond hair. "I hope that the three lower levels being flooded is a good thing," he said to the fairy as he stared down at the submerged floors beneath the platform they were standing on.

Link appeared behind them and added, "And let us hope you remember where the chamber of illusions is, Navi."

"It's down in the basement," she replied pertly.

"I don't think I can hold my breath that long," Sheik muttered.

"I'm only fooling you," the fairy said. "I have no idea what level it's on."

There was a long silence and two very shocked-to-the-point-of-being-sick faces staring back at her. Navi laughed. "You actually believe I forgot? Honestly, men are the most gullible creatures to walk the earth."

"Oh ha _ha_," Link said with anemic humor. "Very funny."

"We love you, Navi," Sheik smiled sarcastically.

"All right, all right, don't be cross," the fairy said. "The chamber is on this level, so thankfully we won't have to perform any aquabatics for the time being. Now come along!"

Link began to follow but halted when Sheik stepped in front of him. "There may be an ambush waiting around any corner; you should let me walk in front."

"Oh really? I always thought it was the straggler in the back who gets picked off first."

"You're just saying that."

The Hylian made a sweeping gesture with his arm and said, "Of course I am. Age before beauty."

Sheik laughed dryly. "And how old are you, Link?"

"Sixteen," he replied quickly, though he had no certain idea. He simply chose the youngest age he could think of without appearing ridiculous.

"Really?" Sheik commented as they both followed Navi across the main chamber. "I would have guessed younger."

"I'm sure you would have, old man," Link teased with a sly grin.

"Old man?" Sheik echoed in mock-offense. "I'm barely twenty years old."

"That's still old."

"To a seventeen year-old, it must be."

"Sixteen. I said I was sixteen."

"Of course. And I was born yesterday. No, Link. You're seventeen. Going to be eighteen in a few months."

Link stopped Sheik. "How do you know my age? Did you know my parents? Tell me!"

The Sheikah's expression became soft with sympathy when he saw the desperation in the young man's blue eyes. "No, sadly, I did not. But I seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to guessing peoples' ages." He placed a hand to his chest, over the red symbol. "The Eye of Truth sees everything."

Link reached over and put his hand over Sheik's, and he whispered sullenly, "Can _you_?"

". . . Sometimes," the Sheikah replied, lost in Link's gaze for what seemed like an eternity, icy blue but burning with a heated fervor unlike any eyes he had ever seen before.

"EXCUSE ME."

The two young men snapped back to reality, dropping their hands and taking a step away from each other. "Yes, Navi?" Link grumbled.

"In case you had forgotten about our mission," she coughed conspicuously, "I've found the door that leads to the maze of rooms, and the chamber of illusions. Unless you and Sheik would like to stand here and make pretty eyes at each other all night, I suggest you follow me."

They both turned a little red then. Link took up position behind Sheik as Navi led the way. "Bloody fairies," he muttered.

* * *

The way to the chamber was difficult and slow-going, past the cascading falls and through the puzzling room filled with dragon statues. Navi flew easily enough, scouting ahead in case of danger and encouraging her two human companions that it was not much further. Sheik seemed better suited for the journey, springing nimbly from platform to platform like a graceful deer, landing lightly and soundlessly. Link tried not to feel embarrassed for himself as he jumped and teetered and scrambled, aware of just how clumsy and clunky he must appear.

"My, is anyone else getting the impression that no one was intended to go where we are going?" Link panted with heavy sarcasm after just having slammed himself into a pillar for the umpteenth time due to his bleary recollection when it came to operating the longshot.

Sheik crouched down to where Link sat upon the marble floor, saying, "Steady now. We're almost there."

"You've been saying that since we started."

"What better way to encourage someone?"

"I don't know. I just hope you mean it this time." Link sighed, exhausted, and rested his head again the Sheikah's shoulder. "I'm so tired . . . I just want to get this over with."

Sheik frowned slightly and allowed the Hylian a few moments' rest, murmuring almost to himself, "I wonder if you are not feeling the effects of the shadow as we draw closer?"

"It's the middle of the damned night outside," Link said. "And it's already been such a long day."

"Indeed."

Navi appeared from above, exclaiming, "I've found the door! It's up here!"

"Come along, Junior." Sheik gave Link a gentle shake, stirring him and helping him to his feet. "Wake up. That's it. Be alert. Be prepared." He patted Link's cheeks sharply with the back of his hand.

"Is he all right?" Navi asked worriedly.

"He's fine. Just a little drowsy."

"I'm awake. All right, I'm awake!" he cried angrily, swatting away Sheik's hand. "You can stop slapping me already."

"Sorry. It felt natural," he replied cattily.

Link had to resist the urge to stick his tongue out; Sheik gave him a boost up to the platform above them. Once they had both climbed over, all three travelers gazed at the large door at the other end in silence.

"Well, Link," the fairy said. "Are you ready to face your shadow for the second time?"

With a natural grace, the young man slowly drew the Master Sword from its sheath and pulled his shield onto his arm, bolstering his resolution and filling his heart with courage. "I am," he said with assurance. "And it shall be for the last time."

* * *

The door opened with a rusty creak and then was still. Though the temple was dark and shadowy, a light like that of misty morning greeted their eyes, and a great waft of heavy mist came rolling out to pool around their feet, the scent of still water with it. Sheik nodded to Link, allowing him to enter first; they each followed after him, until they stood upon a small dais overlooking shallow water that stretched off into an unknown horizon, obstructed by fog and cloud.

"Déjà vu," Link whispered.

"Power still lingers here," Sheik said softly, gazing around in wonder. "This place is a world of its own, or simply a futile attempt at one. It was as if the Goddesses had used it as a rough basis for the world in which we live now. I feel . . . such sadness around us, such mourning . . ." He trailed off, unable to complete his thoughts.

"Such longing," Link finished.

"You feel it as well?"

"No. I . . . _am_ it." As if in a trance, the Hylian stepped off the dais and into the water that came just halfway up his boots. He walked into the mist, saying as he went, "It is calling me back."

"Link, wait!" Navi cried, but he had already vanished, swallowed by the pillows of fog.

Sheik cursed softly and jumped into the water after him, searching blindly and unable to call to him for fear of their presence being made known.

Link's feet moved of their own accord, deeper into the fog that parted as he walked through it. His head was light and he felt the fatigue overtake him several times; he forced himself to clear his mind and remain conscious of what he was doing. As he scanned the mist, his skin prickled with the eerie sensation that he knew not what lay beyond the next wall of cloud; the whole world may have come to an end on the other side, and he may plunge down into nothingness, falling for ever and ever. He didn't know what to expect, fearing that perhaps the shadow he had faced—so long ago it seemed—had mutated and become a fearsome predator that was hunting him, watching him this very moment.

Link walked faster onwards, into the pale void of water and mist, his heart pounding and his breath coming in gasps. As the fear reached a pinnacle in his frantic mind, he suddenly thought he saw a dark shape to his left and ahead of him a few yards. He slowed himself, taking careful, quiet steps toward it, trying as hard as he could not to disturb the water. His left hand tightly gripped his sword, and the shield strapped to his arm felt suddenly very heavy.

And, like a ghost materializing before him, the slender trunk of a dark tree came into view, the same tree Link remembered seeing the last time. Only this time, it was not unchanged; for when before its limbs and branches were barren and twisted like the fingers of skeletons reaching toward an unseen heaven, it was now filled full with green leaves and small, delicate white and pale pink flowers who peppered their petals into the water around its small island.

Link lowered his sword and opened his mouth in awe, approaching it with stunned silence. It was a lovely tree, indeed, and the very last thing he expected to see here in this blanched, dreary room of sad illusions.

_Do you like it? I made it just for you._

Those words ran through Link's head and left him puzzled. What had provoked _that_? Was it his imagination?

_Have you come to stay?_

What was going on?

_Please don't go. I have waited so long for you._

"Stop it!" Link shouted, turning about, searching for a source he could strike. "What are you doing to me?" He spun frantically like a cornered animal, feeling helpless and completely at the mercy of whatever was out there.

_Do not be afraid . . . You have nothing to fear._

"Show yourself! I know you're out there!"

There came no response from inside Link's head, and he prepared himself for meeting whatever was there in the mist with him, his stance ready to strike and his heart racing. It would most likely be a sudden attack like it had been the first time, he thought with his warrior's mind. It will probably be an attack from the rear, where he was unguarded and vulnerable…unless his enemy could read his mind, in which case he could easily expect a frontal assault. Which direction would it come from? How will it strike? How could Link possibly counter a blow when he was lost, disoriented and blinded by fog? What could he do? How had he become separated from his companions? If only Navi were there with him!

Link saw movement in the corner of his eye, and instinctively threw his full attention toward it, sword raised in defense and shield held ready. A dark silhouette appeared within the curtain of mist, taking slow, cautious steps in Link's direction. The Hylian withheld his attack in confusion, wondering if this was some sort of mischievous devilry, a cunning trick. But where was the attack?

"Come out where I can see you," Link ordered.

The silhouette obeyed, and Link could see the small waves roll across the water's surface as it approached. Keeping his eyes fixated on the figure as it drew nearer, the young warrior braced himself for anything.

But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

* * *

A young man with ebony black hair, gray eyes like steel, and a kind, gentle expression took a few more timid steps and then stopped a few yards from Link, blinking rapidly and staring back at him in awed wonder. The Hylian very nearly let his sword slip from his hands, gazing back at his shadowy twin with mutual amazement. His tunic looked ancient and ragged, fraying at the hems and soaked with dew. Dirt smudged the pale cheeks of the youth, giving him the appearance of some shipwrecked wretch that had been lost on an island for years. He was unarmed, carried no sword or shield, yet he still wore the black leather sword gloves that were a grim copy of Link's own. He was truly his twin, only dark and disheveled and dirty and positively pitiful-looking. Yet toward him, Link felt no pity.

The shadow's bottom lip quivered as he opened his mouth and said in a deep, breathy whisper, "I knew you would return again. I've . . . waited for so long-" He took another step toward Link but the Hylian brandished his sword out, causing the shadow to stop in his tracks, a frightened and confused look on his face. "Master? Please, I mean no ha-"

"Shut up," Link snapped. "I killed you!"

To his surprise, the shadow smiled. A smile of pure joy. "No," he said. "You gave me life."

A wave of light-headedness hit Link like a physical blow. His vision blurred and his head rolled as he struggled to remain conscious. His arms went limp and he tried to breathe, gasping for air as if it were being robbed from his lungs. And suddenly the shadow was before him. Link could smell the scent of musty, stale cloth and stagnant water as the dark haired young man placed his warm hand to Link's cold cheek, cupping it gently and lovingly as he whispered words that Link's ears did not hear. His mind was swimming and he closed his eyes.

He felt an arm encircle his waist, pulling him against a warm body burning beneath cold, wet clothes. Living flesh. A heartbeat. How could this be? A hand placed itself to the small of his back, and he heard a trembling sigh, felt it against his neck, warm also. Something was flowing out of Link like blood, though he felt no pain. It was much deeper than blood, like something from his soul. A force.

_He's sucking out my soul_, Link thought helplessly, feeling his consciousness weave in and out like tree limbs swaying in the breeze. He struggled to open his eyes. Flower petals raining down. Was he falling as well? No, his legs had given out from underneath him, and his shadow was holding him up.

Link opened his eyes again, and found himself staring into the colorless gray irises of his shadow, who had tears welling in his eyes and pale trails from the ones that had already rolled down his dirty cheeks. Their faces were so close together that Link could not focus his eyes upon him.

"Master . . ." the shadow breathed, and Link tasted his breath on his tongue.

_Why am I not resisting?_

Lulled into a sleepy numbness, Link could only moan softly and he felt a pair of soft lips descend upon his own. Just then, he heard his own name. Someone was calling to him!

In a flash the Hylian's head was cleared from the spell holding him captive; his eyes snapped open and he was instantly aware that he was in the arms of his shadow, their mouths pressed together in a shallow kiss. A rainbow of passionate and furious emotion went ripping through Link's body as he jerked his head away, and with a cry of, "Get _off_!" he brought his shield up and into his foe with a smash, sending the shadow sprawling backwards into the water a good two paces.

An angry hue of crimson burnt its way onto Link's face as his twin, stunned but uninjured, scrambled to his feet with a splash. "H-how . . . _dare_ you!" Link sputtered. "You-! _You_-!"

Suddenly from the wall of mist behind him, Sheik burst through and leapt to Link's side, Navi flying in hot pursuit. "We heard you shouting and came as fast as we—_gods_!" He laid eyes upon the dark Link and with a quick motion of his arms, drew three needle-sharp blades from between the fingers of each hand, poised to throw them at the figure.

"Don't!" the shadow cried, still reeling from the mighty blow and raising a hand before him in an attempt to halt a possible onslaught. "Please, do not hurt me! I mean none of you harm!"

Sheik's mouth dropped open and his single visible eye went wide. "It is the living darkness," he uttered.

The shadow sobbed for breath and placed a hand to his chest, wincing. "Master hurt me . . . Why? Master . . ."

"Does he mean, _you_, Link?" the Sheikah asked.

"I am not his master," the Hylian seethed, still bright red with anger and humiliation.

The shadow looked up at him and grinned weakly. "But you are," he said. "For you are my light, my keeper. My salvation."

"My word," Sheik murmured.

"You can talk now!" Navi noted with wonder, flying about the shadow to examine him more closely.

"I never knew I had a voice until the Master released me from the chains of evil," the shadow said as he cast a look of complete adoration toward Link. "When he freed me I found my tongue, and since then I have practiced his words so that . . . when he returned, I would be able to tell him how grateful I am, and how I plan to spend the rest of my life beside him."

"_What_?" Link gaped. "I didn't free-! You-!" He narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger accusingly at his dark twin. "You are not spending any amount of time beside me, _that_ much is certain."

"In fact," said Sheik levelly. "He was sent here to destroy you."

"Destroy me?" the shadow's face grew pale with fear as he gazed at Link, a look of betrayal causing his bottom lip to tremble. "But why does the Master wish that?"

Link raised the Master Sword slowly and took a step forward, his features grim and his hand steady. "I'm sure your maker will tell you once I send you to join him."

The shadow darted backwards in barely enough time to avoid having his head taken off as the great sword clove horizontally through the air; but he was not so fast as to avoid being shallowly slit from his right cheek to the bridge of his nose. A few strands of dark hair, neatly trimmed by the razor sharp blade, fluttered down to the water below as the shadow cried out in shock and placed a hand over his face, stumbling back with a loud splash.

"Master!" he pleaded. "Don't strike! I shall do anything you wish of me if you but tell me first!"

Link wasn't listening. As he prepared to move in and finish what he had started, Navi flew into his face and momentarily blinded him. Fighting the instinct to swat her away like an insect, Link cursed, "Damn it! Get out of the way, Navi!"

"Link, stop!" she cried. "Something is wrong! Look! His blood!"

The Hylian lowered his sword and stared at his unarmed shadow, still holding his face in his hand. Between the parted fingers, red blood was flowing down across his knuckles. Bright, living, red blood, as rich as the color of rubies. It was then that Link saw the precise tear in the black leather of his twin's gloved hand, and with a flash he recalled the first strike he made—so long ago—that had sent his opponent's sword flying from his hand, and the black blood that had run from the wound.

Link gazed down at the legendary sword in his hand, its tip bearing the faintest smear of red. Looking back up at his old foe, he uttered, "What _are_ you?"

The shadow threw himself to his knees in the water and cried, "Master! Please do not kill me, I beg you! I would never harm you! Forgive me for my past-!"

"It was not your fault," Sheik spoke, almost as if in question, as he stood by Link's side, gazing down at the creature of shadow.

The Hylian turned to stare at the Sheikah as if he were out of his mind. "Are you _insane_?" he demanded.

Sheik took Link by the shoulder and led him away from the shadow, then leaned in close and whispered to him, "You know as well as I that Ganondorf was powerful enough to seduce minds into obeying his orders."

"You think that's what happened to him?"

"I can't be certain," Sheik said. "But I know enough that evil beings do not plead for their lives. This creature is no longer evil."

"But he was evil before," Link whispered back. "He cannot be trusted. He must be destroyed, just to be safe."

"But he's obviously not evil now."

"How sure can you be? I say we slay first and ask questions later."

"That kind of attitude is asking for trouble."

"What if you're wrong, Sheik?"

"And what if I'm right? You will have taken an innocent life, Link. All that you have slain, you have done so out of justice. But this is _murder_, Link. How will you sleep knowing that you have murdered someone?"

"And what if _I'm_ right?" Link demanded. "What if he's been festering down here all these years and become so saturated with hatred and evil that he's become as good a deceiver as Ganondorf? What if he's waiting for us to free him from this prison so that he can go wreak his havoc above ground?"

Sheik stabbed a finger in the shadow's direction. "Does that frightened and injured man over there pose _that_ much of a threat to your life right now that you would murder him in cold blood without a second thought?"

"Listen, that so-called 'frightened and injured man' is a being that was created by Ganondorf. _Ganondorf_, Sheik!"

"Does that give you reason enough to cut him down as if he were nothing?"

"Are you actually _sympathizing_ with a minion of evil?"

"I sympathize with all living creatures who have a divine right to live."

blasphemy that the Goddesses created lives that were destroyed by Ganondorf's evil, and yet his own sick creation is allowed to live. To think that that _abomination_ is to be shown mercy when Ganondorf's victims were not. It's so—I, I cannot stand it! I will not bear this burden, not for you, not for Zelda, not for anyone! The shadow must _die_."

Sheik crossed his arms over his chest and said calmly, "What's stopping you, Link? Go on. Kill him. Just know that a murderer is a murderer, whether you've killed one or a hundred."

Link turned away slightly, too angry and confused to answer.

"Ganondorf was a murderer, too," Sheik murmured. "Do you honestly want that weighing on your conscience? Or do you even have one, I wonder?"

The Hylian faced his friend with lips drawn thin, and a helpless expression of frustration on his fair face. "How dare you even say that to me."

"I apologize, but someone had to say it."

"I _have_ a conscience."

"Then use it. You've shown mercy to those like Ingo and Nabooru, people whose minds were taken over by Ganondorf's evil. Why do you not show mercy to your own shadow?"

"Because," Link said lowly, "the Goddesses meant for there to be only one of me, not two."

The two young men gazed across the way at the nameless being, still on his knees in the water and watching their conversation with both worry and hope upon his face.

Link turned to the Sheikah and muttered, "I don't know what to do with him. For the first time in my life I am unable to discern friend from foe. Though my mind tells me that we can't trust him, my heart wishes we could. Why, I don't know. All I know is that, be he evil or not, I don't have the wisdom or the authority to decide whether this creature should live or die."

"Then we need to take him to somebody who does," Sheik replied. "Someone who can judge him and make a decision." He placed a confident hand upon Link's shoulder. "The Sages will know what to do with him."

The Hylian nodded. "The Sages . . ." He sheathed his sword and called to his dark twin, "Get up. You're coming back with us."


	10. Trust No One

And so it was that the shadow-born being, nameless and with no place in the world, was allowed to return with Link, Sheik and Navi as they made their way out of the depths of the Water Temple. The going was slightly easier on the return path, but the dark haired young man was slow-moving and frightfully clumsy, not to mention extremely talkative. He chattered incessantly the whole way. Link refused to help him over obstacles and across moats, not even wanting to touch him, certainly not after their close encounter earlier, which still made his blood boil. So he ignored—or tried to ignore—his twin as much as he could, and suddenly wanted nothing more than to be back in Hyrule, toss in his mission, and resume his life as it should be.

Sheik, on the other hand, listened patiently to the shadowy youth and helped him to keep his footing. He kept apologizing to the Sheikah again and again for every trifle, and soon Sheik began to doubt there being so much as a speck of malice left within the shadow's fiber.

". . . You see, the door on the other side of the chamber was locked shut, and I could not even leave the room to explore the temple," Link's copy explained pointedly. "I was trapped down there for centuries."

"Watch your step," Sheik admonished. "Centuries? It has been only seven years."

"Only seven?" the shadow replied in pained wonder. "But it felt like much longer . . . perhaps it was the lack of the Master's presence which made it seem like an eternity. At any rate, this is the first I've ventured from the room since the Dark One put me there. I forgot what varying heights the ground can be. Oof! Oh, I'm sorry! I almost toppled you over. Please pardon me. My mind is still foggy. Ha! Wasn't that a humorous statement? I say my mind is foggy because I've been locked in a room filled with fog for the past seven years. Ha—augh!"

"_Do_ try to mind the ledge, won't you? You nearly fell over that time."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're absolutely right. I must be more aware of my surroundings. Hopefully I won't remain this clumsy once I've grown adjusted to new landscapes. I suppose if I stopped talking it might help out somewhat as well, but you must understand, I've been so terribly, terribly alone for years and I've never had anyone to talk to, or-or even just listen to me!" His gray eyes grew soft. "Until the Master came and freed me, just like I knew he-"

"Will you shut _up_?" Link snapped, turning about with a horrid scowl on his face. "You babble like a lovesick idiot and my patience is waning—now stop your flapping tongue or you'll be wearing it as a scarf."

"I . . . I'm sorry, Master," came the injured reply.

"Don't apologize. Don't say anything at all. And don't call me 'master', understand? Now move it."

Sheik sighed lightly and whispered to the shadow, "Don't mind him. He's just tired and cranky."

"He'll be much better once he's had some rest," Navi added, leaving her position flying at Link's side to join the two young men walking behind. "Speaking of better, has your wound stopped bleeding?"

The shadow nodded, still holding the bloodstained cloth Sheik had given to him to place over the clean slice on his face made by the Master Sword; he mouthed 'thank you' to Sheik, who could not help but to feel pity for him, no matter how evil he may have been in the past.

When they at last reached the entrance corridor to exit the temple, Sheik called to Link, who was removing his normal boots and strapping on his iron ones: "I think perhaps it would be best if we both walked the shadow through the passage; it shall be quicker and we won't have to worry for him drowning."

"You needn't fear my death," the shadow spoke up. "It is impossible for me to drown."

"How would you know?" Navi asked.

"Because I've tried," came the soft reply, and a heavy silence followed thereafter. He continued, "Being alone for so long was unbearable . . . but there seemed to be no way to end my misery. I do not know why I am like this, but I suppose it's a sign that I was meant to stay alive."

"A sign," Link muttered loudly. "Pity you didn't succeed in killing yourself; it certainly would have saved us a lot of trouble."

Tears of hurt welled within the dark haired youth's eyes as he asked gently, "Why does the Master say such things?"

"For the last time, I am not your master!" Link shouted. "Now stop calling me that!"

"What shall I call you then?"

"Nothing! Just pretend I'm nameless like you."

"Name-less?"

"Would you stop being so hateful?" Sheik said to Link, more of a command than a question; he was beginning to tire of the Hylian's bad attitude, for never had he seen or heard of him being in such a foul mood before. Even Navi seemed surprised by her longtime friend's disagreeability.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_," Link said with a patronizing tone, standing up and staring at his companions with an ill gaze. "Sorry that I don't seem to be warming up and becoming best friends with the same thing that almost killed me at another point. Forgive me for being so slow to trust a being that was created by Ganondorf himself. I know: I'll just open up my heart and roll out the royal carpet, forgive and forget, like nothing ever happened!" Link threw his arms wide open. "And I'll say, _'oh, I feel so sorry for you, you poor thing who has stolen my image from me! Let us be friends forever!'_ Never mind the fact that he would have gladly gutted me alive in the past. After all, it _is_ the past, and everything is changed _now_, right? Isn't it? I can trust you, Shadow, can't I? Of course I can, for I'm as stupid as a rock and I trust anybody regardless of common sense, because I believe that deep down everyone is good inside!"

Link's mocking smile faded and his blue eyes became dark with a passive anger. "I would not have survived to meet you had I been such an idiotic, trusting fool. I have lived my life by the sword, and the sword says to trust no one."

"Except yourself," the shadow said.

"You are not me."

"But I came from you-"

"You came from hell!" Link cried. "And for all I care, you can go back and stay there." With those words, he jumped into the water and disappeared from view.

The shadowy young man trembled, and no one spoke for a while. Navi finally broke the silence with, "I don't know what is the matter with him, but he seems to be getting worse. He is acting like a completely different person now."

"I suppose his shadow brings out the best in him," Sheik jested lightly, but nobody laughed.

The shadow hung his head and whispered, "He hates me. My own Master cannot stand me . . ."

"Don't let him hear you call him that," Sheik said as he snapped the heavy cuffs to his ankles. "Don't tell him I told you, but his name is Link."

". . . Link?"

"I'm sure you heard us calling him that before," Navi said.

"Indeed, but I thought it was merely a title. Like 'king' or 'prince'."

"He is no lord of ours," the Sheikah smiled kindly.

"Did _I_ ever have a name?"

"No, but I suppose that we can think of one for you in time."

"A name!" the shadow exclaimed. "Why, I'll be just like one of you. A real person with a real name. But I should like to receive my name from . . . _him_. The Link. It seems only right for my master to decide my name, don't you think?"

Navi visibly winced. "I'm not so certain you would want to be given a name by Link, at least not until he's in better spirits."

"Yes, I suppose you are right—er, what is your name, little one?" he asked, looking up at the fairy.

"My name is Navi!" she replied. "I am Link's guardian."

"Guardian?"

She chuckled. "Well, more so when he was a wild little boy."

"A boy? 'Boy' is a young person?"

"That's right."

"So then, you have known the Master for a long time? Can you tell me what he was like?"

"Later, I promise. Right now all this fairy wants is to do is get out of this damp, waterlogged temple."

"Fairy . . ." The shadow mused before turning to Sheik and asking, "And, what is _your_ name, friend?"

"My name is Sheik," he replied. "I am a Sheikah."

"That makes sense," the dark haired young man said with a smile. "But I haven't any idea what a 'fairy' or a 'Sheikah' is, although the words themselves are familiar in my head. Would Navi tell me all about Link once we have reached the surface, and would Sheik teach me what these words mean?"

"Indeed, or I shall try at least," Sheik said, and took the young man by his hand. "Come. Let this place be but a memory to you."

And together, they stepped off the floor of the corridor and dropped down into the water filling the passage that led to the outside. The shadow neither floated nor sank, but hovered in the middle like the weightless particles drifting within the water. It was no effort for Sheik, who, in a few moments, surfaced along with the shadow outside the temple. It was the dark of night; only the glow of the moon and stars above and the small yellow lights from the house on the lake's shore reflected in ripples on the water's surface.

Link was already on the shore of the small island, wringing water out of his tunic; his demeanor was still cold and unforgiving judging by the grim, silent way he squeezed the water from his clothes. Sheik could easily imagine his Hylian friend pretending that his tunic was a certain nameless party's neck.

A sudden gasp in the Sheikah's ear turned his attention to the dark haired young man treading the water beside him; he was gazing at the sky in wonder, his eyes wide and shining in the light of the moon. "What beauty is this?" he uttered. "Is it real or is it an illusion?"

"It is real," Sheik replied. "It is the moon, and those lights are the stars."

"Stars…" the shadow repeated, his voice trembling as he became overwhelmed with emotion. "In the . . . _sky_? Yes, it is the sky. The heavens. The firmament."

"You seem to recognize these things even if you haven't seen them."

"I know only words," the young man replied. "But my heart tells me what they mean."

Navi wormed her way out from between the gauze strips wrapped about Sheik's collar and gasped, "I don't want to see water again for two thousand years! Ughhh. I feel like wet moss. What I need is a nice hot lantern and a dry hat to sleep in."

"That sounds wonderful," said Sheik, taking the shadow by the arm and pulling him toward the island. Link was already crossing the rope bridge with boots in hand, and the remaining three pairs of ears could hear his footsteps sloshing as he walked.

"Splendid," Navi muttered. "He's angry _and_ wet."

Sheik nodded. "But at least the water cooled him off."

* * *

Link stepped off the bridge and stalked around the side of the eccentric looking laboratory, unable to think clearly for the audacious treason Navi and Sheik were committing by allowing that creature to come to the surface with them. Did they not know how much havoc he was capable of wreaking up here? Link's only comfort was the thought that when the whole world was crumbling into the abyss of the fiery underworld he would be able to tell them 'I told you so'. But all would be destroyed, so it really didn't matter anyway. Link was so angry and upset that he felt positively, physically sick.

The horses were waiting patiently at their posts, and they nickered softly upon seeing him. The Hylian ignored them, trying hard not to think about riding across Hyrule Field while feeling as nauseated as he felt now.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he was given a start when a figure emerged from around the side of the house; it was the professor who lived there, as equally eccentric-looking as his abode. "Good evening!" he greeted, ignoring the fact that he had nearly caused Link to jump out of his skin.

"Don't creep up on people like that!" Link cried. "You're going to frighten the life out of someone that way, Eldwin!"

"I beg your pardon?"

Link bit his lip when he realized his err; for while he still retained the memories of his seven-year quest, the people whom he had met and become friends with did not. Professor Eldwin had been a friendly—if peculiar—acquaintance of Link's, offering him a place to recover after the battle with Morpha and even tending to his injuries, giving him advice about battling underwater and explaining the physics of fluid dynamics. In return, Link humored the professor's scientific tangents, oftentimes participating in seemingly inane experiments. Though overly analytical, odd, and even slightly scatter-brained, the old man was thought of fondly by Link, and it was thus that the young Hylian was overtaken with a heavy sense of loss to realize that he was once again a stranger to him.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe you know me," he said. "I have heard of the great Professor Eldwin of Lake Hylia and . . ." This farce was getting him nowhere, Link realized, and he was not a practiced liar. "I'm sorry. My, hm, _friends_ and I had some business to attend to out at the Lake, but now that we're finished we'll be out of your way-"

"Nonsense, lad!" the old man exclaimed, raising his lantern. "Look at you. You're soaked through! Come in and dry off, at least. I have more than enough room if you and your compatriots would like a place to stay for the night."

"Oh, no, thank you, but we couldn't possibly impose on-"

"That would be _wonderful_," came a voice, and Link turned around to see Sheik and the shadow, dripping puddles where they stood; Navi fluttered out from behind them. Sheik went on before Link could protest, "We kindly accept your offer."

"Splendid!" Eldwin said. "Well, well, this has to be the most interesting group of guests I believe I've ever entertained: a fairy, a Sheikah, and twin brothers! We don't get many twins around here."

"We're not brothers," Link affirmed with a deadly glance to his shadow.

"Good heavens, really? I must be seeing double."

"Er, let's not get into that just yet," Sheik cut in. "It's a long story."

Eldwin nodded vaguely. "Ah, well, there's a time and a place for everything. Right then, come along! Let's get you drenched youngsters out of this night air before you catch pneumonia. A hot bath should have you all back in good spirits, yes!"

"No bath for me, thank you," Navi declined.

"What's a _new-moan-ya_? And what happens if you catch one?" the shadow whispered to Sheik, who put his finger to his lips and indicated for him to follow Eldwin into the house.

* * *

Despite the clutter and dim light of the little dwelling, it was wonderfully cozy and warm, especially to the wet and chilled travelers: a small fire crackled merrily from across the room, casting its flickering light over stacks and stacks of thick, dusty books, ancient scrolls filled with numbers and notes, and pamphlet leaves scattered across what little tabletop was visible beneath the multicolored assortment of jars and vials.

"Do excuse the mess," Eldwin said, leading the three men and a fairy through the sty of his studies. "If I had known guests would be staying with me I would have taken the time to tidy up a bit!"

"It's not a bother, really," Sheik was saying before his eye caught the shadow, walking as if hypnotized toward the fireplace. He barely managed to dart over and save the young man from searing his hands as he reached for the leaping flames. "Don't! For heaven's sake, you're going to burn yourself!"

"But it's so beautiful . . . Like nothing I've ever seen before," the shadow murmured dreamily, still gazing at the smooth tendrils or orange and yellow. "So warm, so alive . . . It's _golden_. Like the Master. I must touch it-"

Sheik restrained the shadow's outstretched hands and hustled him away from the fire, and found himself on the receiving end of some very peculiar glances. "He's . . . a foreigner. From out of town," he said to the professor.

"They don't have fire where you come from, lad?" Eldwin asked of the shadow.

"No, sir," came the soft reply. "Only shadows and water."

"Indeed? Because that reminds me, I was formulating a hypothesis a few weeks ago about the varying effects that lack of sunlight can have on water when it's kept stale for-"

"So! Professor!" Link spoke up, taking the old man by the arm and slowly directing his attention away from Sheik and the shadow. "You said something about hot baths, yes?"

"Oh! Right. Silly me. Yes, the bath is on this floor but I'm afraid it's only big enough for one person, so you'll all have to take turns."

"What a pity," Sheik cracked, and Link cast a dirty glance at him. "Lighten up a little, would you? A few more looks like that and I'll be turning into a shadow myself."

"It would certainly suit you, wouldn't it?" the Hylian replied snidely.

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence. Eldwin cleared his throat. "Ahem. Yes, well. Rooms are upstairs. Just hang your wet clothes anywhere and I'll gather them up and get them dried."

"Thank you," the shadow spoke up tentatively in his soft, breathy voice.

Link looked at him as if he had said something too absurd to be comprehended by human ears.

"Why, you're very welcome, lad! Forgive my rudeness, my young guests, but I don't believe I caught your names."

"Sheik," said the Sheikah.

"Link," said the Hylian.

"Navi," said the fairy.

Pause. He gazed at the shadow. "And you, lad? What is your name?"

The ebony haired young man lowered his head sadly. "I don't have-"

"He's fleeing his country and traveling incognito," Sheik improvised with haste. "It's important that he not give his name due to . . . political reasons."

"Well, that's quite a country you come from, my boy!" Eldwin laughed. "Although I can't blame you for fleeing a land without fire! Goodness! I do hope you like it here in Hyrule."

"Thank you," the shadow smiled warmly and looked over at Link with nothing but adoration in his eyes. "I know I shall."

Link turned his head away and said nothing.


	11. Scars

For a hermetic old scientist, Professor Eldwin was a most energetic talker. Most of his conversation with Sheik was rather one sided though, since the young man's knowledge of the world was given in to mysticism, magic and mysteries. The technical babble coming out of the professor's mouth was going completely in one ear and out the other, but Sheik found that if he pretended to look deeply interested, rub his chin thoughtfully and nod every now and then, that Eldwin took no notice of how absolutely lost his guest was.

Navi, nestled snugly down into a warm cloth on the small wooden table next to the fireplace, giggled softly as she watched the scene carry on, despite the desperate glances she received from Sheik, imploring her to do something to distract Eldwin so the young man could go get changed out of his robe. Navi blissfully ignored him, unwilling to set herself up as a target for the professor's attention.

When Link appeared in the main room of the house, dressed similarly in a robe and vigorously toweling the rest of the bathwater from his hair, Sheik fairly leapt from his seat at the large table in the center of the room with a desperately cheerful call of, "Link! I honestly declare you take the longest baths in all recorded history. Won't you come sit with the professor and talk? Here, you may have _my_ seat-"

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly," Link declined, well aware of what was happening.

"Please, I _insist_," Sheik countered, teeth gritted while smiling as pleasantly as he could.

"I would hate to interrupt the conversation you're already engaged in."

"You're not interrupting us, really. Sit down."

"I should really go get changed-"

"Nonsense. If I could sit in my robe for an hour and talk with the kind professor, it will be no trifle for you! Now sit."

"Yes, Link! Do sit down!" Eldwin said pleasantly. "I've been meaning to ask you about your brother-"

"He's not my brother," the Hylian muttered. "He's . . . a distant relation."

"Is he? Your similarities to one another are striking."

Link looked about the room and noticed his shadow's absence. "Where has he gone?"

"Upstairs, changing most likely."

"I see." He started toward the small spiral staircase. "I have to talk to him about something."

Navi fairly exploded from her nest as she and Sheik both exclaimed in unison: "Link!"

He halted and gazed at his friends dully. The Sheikah released the breath he had been holding, and passed a look to his companion that held both warning and concern. "Don't," he whispered softly. Crimson eyes said all too clearly: _if you hurt him . . ._

Link placed his foot on the first step and murmured, "I won't. I would just like to know a few things." And with that, he disappeared up the staircase.

Sheik sighed heavily and slumped back into his chair. The professor leaned forward curiously and said, "I must say, you're making this young man out to be something quite extraordinary."

Sheik replied solemnly, "It was nothing of our doing; he was already like that."

* * *

Link did not bother to knock, but his shadow was not surprised by his entrance into the small bedroom; he seemed to be half-expecting his golden haired other's arrival. Link strode into the room, closed the door behind him and then leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and staring across the way at his shadow. Without his hat, Link saw that indeed his shadow's hair was black as a crow's plumage, and still hanging damply about his face.

"Mast—Link," the dark haired young man whispered reverently, turning his gaze downward slightly as if he were addressing royalty. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I could easily ask you the same question," Link muttered. "Although I doubt you've the wits to answer." He sighed heavily. "But I didn't come here to question you."

The shadow raised his head. "No?"

Link's eyes glared coldly. "I came to observe."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend to be naïve. You know of what I speak. What were you doing before I came in?"

"I was undressing."

"Well," Link shrugged nonchalantly. "Carry on."

The shadow blinked in confusion and opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but judging from the look on Link's face, the Hylian was in no mood to be interrogated. With slow movements he removed the black leather gloves from his hands and placed them on the narrow table next to his hat. His hands were the same as Link's, same size and shape, sturdy and strong with unusually elegant fingers, though the shadow bore a white scar on the back of his right hand. Then, with his glinting gray eyes locked within Link's gaze, the dark haired youth removed his belt and pulled his tunic over his head, leaving him in nothing but his dark gray pants and similarly shaded undershirt.

With steady hands the shadow slowly peeled off the shirt, revealing a finely-muscled torso that Link remembered seeing reflecting back as he stood before many a mirror. How they could look so exactly the same, even he knew not. Every sinew, every muscle, every detail of the other young man was alike, even the way his black hair parted to frame his face and how the thin wisps curled up slightly at the back of his neck.

But his movements were different from his own, Link thought as he watched his shadow's form. No matter how similar their fleshly bodies were, they were still two different men who acted and moved and reacted in different ways. But despite even this, Link could not help but to feel as if a part of his identity had been stolen from him, that Ganondorf had committed the most horrific of crimes against humanity by making this creature in his enemy's image. What perfect revenge, even after death. It was as if it had been planned all along.

Link felt violated, as if Ganondorf had torn the clothes from his body and studied his every naked detail with scrutiny; as if the Gerudo Lord had marked every inch of his flesh, hair by hair, piece by piece; as if he had spent long hours in the dark of night, feeling and touching with cold, large, rough fingers the supple, youthful flesh until he had memorized its shape and contour. And from his memory was born this monster, this sick personification of the body from whom Ganondorf had ravaged Link's own features.

There was no other way to describe it; Link felt raped.

The shadow turned his head to the side for he could not bear to face his master, practically hearing the thoughts that were going through his mind, aware of the feelings of horror and betrayal he must be feeling. His dark eyes burned with tears of frustration. He had not been asked to be made like this. He had not wanted to be hated by the one from which he originally came, simply for being who he was. So the shadow closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was back down in his room of illusions, far from the hatred his life-giver felt for him.

The dark haired young man felt a whisper of a touch against his bare chest, and he turned his head to see Link standing before him, eye to eye, face expressionless and lips drawn thin, very gently ghosting his finger across his twin's flesh.

"This was where I stabbed you," he said, tracing a path over the left shoulder where no scar or mark could be seen on his skin. "The sword went through your body and came out the other side. Yet it's as if you've never been touched."

"You felled me with my own sword, Master," the shadow said softly, forgetting himself for a moment, overtaken by the fact that he was being touched. His heart pounded uncontrollably. "You destroyed the evil possessing me, but you did not destroy me."

_A dark mist_—_almost like a thin trail of smoke—__rose from the prostrate body and melted away into the surrounding fog . . ._

"So I did," Link murmured, recalling his victory. "But you still bear the scar of my sword upon your hand."

"I like to think of it as my birthmark," the shadow said with fondness in his voice, gazing down at the pale, upraised scar and fingering it gently. "For you freed me from the Dark One's powers. I was born on that day-" He gasped softly as Link's finger brushed across his chest and down his belly with deliberation.

"You were never born," Link uttered coldly, rubbing over the firm flesh of his twin's abdomen where his navel should have been. "You were never carried in a mother's womb."

The shadow's eyes were stinging again; he blinked rapidly and bowed his head, hoping that perhaps his hair would hide the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said helplessly, unable to think of anything else.

"Don't be," Link said hollowly. "I cannot help the fact that you are the bastard offspring of Ganondorf's evil. That is _your_ problem."

The shadow winced in pain as a tear rolled down his cheek and into the fresh cut made by the Master Sword. It stung horribly, and he wiped the moisture from his gray eyes before more tears could run into the wound. Pain was a sensation to which he was still new, at least in a physical sense, for his heart continued to ache as if he were still waiting for his master to return.

_Leave me._

"What did you say?" Link asked.

"Nothing," the shadow replied in a barely audible whisper.

_If you came to hurt me, just go away._

"I can hear you," Link snapped, and gazed into the shadow's colorless eyes, mournful and filled with unparalleled sorrow.

_Please, just leave me._

Thoughts, Link realized. He could hear his shadow's thoughts . . . but could he hear Link's?

"Sometimes," the dark haired youth said in answer. "But only when our hearts are free from the burdens we bear."

Link pulled away slowly, darkly scowling. "The only burden I bear now is _ you_," he muttered, and opened the door to leave. "Stay out of my mind and away from my heart."

"That," the shadow said, "is entirely up to you."

And the door slammed closed behind Link.

* * *

Link appeared downstairs, dressed in the spare green tunic he had brought and evidently looking ready for travel. Sheik, still clad in his robe, stood from his seat in alarm, watching as his friend scanned the room for any belongings he might have left there. "Where's Eldwin?" he asked.

"Outside," Sheik replied warily. "He said something about checking the flood gates for the observation pool-"

"Never mind. I suppose we can leave him a note."

"A note? What on earth for? Link, what's going on?"

The Hylian ignored him and called to the fairy, "Wake up, Navi. Get ready to leave."

"Leave!" she fairly shouted. "But it's the middle of the night!"

"If we leave now it's all the less time I'll have to spend with that _thing_," Link snapped. "The sooner we get to Hyrule and leave him with the Sages, the sooner I can get on with my life."

"What about _us_?" Navi argued. "All you're thinking about is yourself, Link! Why have you become so selfish all of the sudden?"

"Selfish? I'm _selfish_? No, I'm not being selfish—it is merely my instinct for self-preservation kicking in. I want to get out of here _now_."

"Link," Sheik said gently, placing his hands upon his friend's shoulders in a gesture of solace. "Keep your senses. It would be a wise idea if we stayed here for the night and carried on to Hyrule in the morning. It has been a trying day for us all-"

Link interrupted with a sharp laugh and pulled away from the touch. "Is that what you call it now, 'trying'?"

"Link, you need to get some rest before we all start to hate you," Navi ordered.

"I agree," Sheik added. "You're acting like a complete ass."

"Ah, what are friends for?" the Hylian wondered aloud. "Stabbing you in the back, making friends with your sworn enemies, insulting you to your face—the possibilities are endless!"

"That does it," Sheik uttered, taking Link firmly by the arm, pulling him up the stairs.

"I mean, who needs enemies with friends like you? I am so fortunate to have them all rolled into one-"

Sheik stormed down the upstairs hallway, opened a door to one of the rooms, and with surprising strength, tossed the disagreeable young man inside. This did not improve Link's mood. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sheik stalked over him, deftly dodging a wild punch aimed at his face, and grabbed Link's wrists in a painfully strong grip. Link threw his weight forward, and it was all Sheik could do to keep his balance. A well-placed kick almost sent him to the floor, and Sheik decided then that enough was enough; he swung about, upsetting Link's balance and sending them both crashing down onto the rickety bed in the corner. Sheik pinned his friend's thrashing arms to the mattress, then settled the matter of Link's kicking by sitting squarely on his legs.

"You son of a bitch!" the Hylian seethed, spit flying from between his clenched teeth. "I _hate_ you! Get off of me! Rrrrgh! Let me go, you bastard!"

"I don't know what's gotten into you," Sheik said. "But we are not taking another step on this journey until I've found out what it is."

Link snarled like an animal, arched his back and lurched about, trying to lift his arms. But despite the Sheikah's tranquil exterior, within him was concealed a surprising strength. After a few minutes Link gave up fighting against his friend, his face turning an indignant shade of red when he found how easily he had been rendered submissive. He gazed up angrily at Sheik and huffed, sending the few tendrils of hair that had fallen into his eyes during his struggle flying. Suddenly a deranged smile broke through his angered countenance and he began to laugh. It was not a pleasant laugh at all, but a deep, throaty chuckle as of one who was aware of what another was not.

Link finally stopped laughing long enough to arch one golden eyebrow suggestively, and gaze down to where their bodies met at the hip. "Why, Sheik, we barely know each other," he whispered huskily.

"Don't be such a petulant brat, Link. You're out of control."

"And what of it? You think it is your job to tame me?" The Hylian coyly nudged his hip into Sheik's, causing him to close his eyes and clench his teeth. "How typical of a royal Sheikah, so haughty and proud. Think I'm out of line, do you? Then punish me, Sheik. Beat the Hero of Time like a dog. Do whatever you-"

"Stop it. Something is possessing you, Link. I think this aggressive behavior of yours is a cry for help-"

Link tried to sit up but Sheik's hold was too strong, and he ended up flopping back down into the pillows, breathing heavily. "You envy me, I know. I was chosen to be the Hero and you were not. How awful that must be for you."

"You are arrogant and conceited if you think that," he said sternly, though deep inside he was worried for his friend who was acting so strangely, while at the same time fighting his desire to slap the words out of Link's contemptuous mouth, no matter how false he knew them to be.

"Ha, you must _hate_ me! Go on, hate me, Sheik! Punish me! Make me pay for my words. Abuse me like you so badly want to—I can see how desperately you yearn to break me . . . and have me."

Link grinned malignantly, staring through the dark crimson eyes and into Sheik's soul. "Look at yourself," he sneered. "Pathetic. Thinking you're so far above me. Don't fight it. Go ahead, take me. Can't say I wouldn't mind if you did, to tell the truth." At this he let out a long, low groan and arched his back. "Oh, gods. Why don't you take me, Sheik? Get it all out of your system and put it into mine."

Link, face feverishly flushed and beading with sweat, thrust his pelvis upwards against Sheik's; even through cloth Sheik could feel the heated, hardened flesh of his friend . . . but only his friend. Their bodies were so close together he could almost hear Link's pounding heart, beating away inside his heaving chest. Through the untied traces of his shirt he could see the glistening, shiny skin of Link's elegant throat; sweat ran down into the rounded hollow of his collarbone, pulsing gently in rhythm with his throbbing heart. Each tendon and muscle in his neck flexed smoothly with every moan and groan he made, and Sheik felt himself on the brink of surrender, ready to submit to the unknown, the unmentioned, the overpowering force that was one of his most basic instincts.

He clenched his teeth and tried to keep his insides from fluttering as the heady sensation of lust wrapped its heavy arms around him. He must be stronger than this.

Link squirmed beautifully, and began to groan: "Ohhh, stick it in me, Sheik. Shove it in deep and let me feel you inside. Ahhn, if you would only get off of my legs, they would be wrapped around you. I would gladly let you take it from me. You know you would love it as much as I. Haah, it's so hot." He was panting now, rolling his head back and forth with his mouth open wide. "Nnnh, hahh . . . oh, Sheik. Touch me, Sheik, before I go mad . . ." He went suddenly rigid and trembled, and in a desperate voice that sounded more like the hero that Sheik knew, cried: "Unh! Ah! Oh gods . . . _get it out of me_!"

Sheik, holding desperately onto Link's convulsing body, turned about and shouted over his shoulder, "Navi! Professor! Come quickly!"

Eldwin, returned from his reconnaissance of the premises, burst into the room as if he'd been shot from a cannon, and stared in amazement at the writhing young man, screaming and moaning in agony.

"Don't stand there! Do something!" Sheik cried.

"What is wrong with him?"

"I don't know. He has been acting strangely all night. First he was tired, and then he was irritable, then he became consumed by . . . by anger, envy, conceit, depravity, going from one to the other, as if in stages."

Navi flew in from behind the professor. "What's happening to him?"

Tears were streaming from Link's eyes and rolling down the sides of his face. "Oh, gods!" he keened. "Oh, gods! I'm dying! The pain-! Nnnhhh . . . Killing me from the inside out-"

"Can't you give him anything?" Sheik implored Eldwin.

"I'm reluctant to treat an ailment when I don't know what's wrong with the patient," he said. "But I'll try to find a general relief for the pain." And with that, he disappeared from the room and could be heard pattering down the stairs.

Link had calmed down and was no longer writhing, but his eyes were glassy and distant. Sheik remembered seeing eyes like that many times in his service as a soldier to the royal family; they were the eyes of a dying man.

He cupped Link's burning cheek in his hand. "Hang in there, Link," he whispered. "Don't let go. Keep your eyes on me, don't close your eyes! Look at me, Link. That's it."

Link was beginning to grow pale, the color fading from his cheeks and his hands becoming cold. "I want to . . . go to sleep," he murmured, dark eyelids growing heavy as his breathing became steadily shallower. "Let me sleep."

"No! No, Link, look at me. Stay with me. Stay awake." Sheik glanced over his shoulder at the fairy. "Navi, he's dying. Go to Eldwin and tell him to fetch the red potion from the saddlebags. Be quick now!"

"Right!" she barked, and shot from the room in a burst of twinkling lights.

Sheik took Link's cold, clammy, limp hands in his own and held them securely. "You're going to be all right, Link," he whispered to his friend. "Eldwin and Navi are getting some potion and you'll be fine again before long."

The Hylian groaned softly and shook his head. "Not potion. Won't help . . ."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course it will." Sheik placed two fingers upon Link's neck; the pulse was weak, although rapid. Summoning all his knowledge of illnesses and medicine, he tried to define the symptoms and see if he knew the cause. While he had not been educated and trained as a Sheikah herbalist, he remembered a great deal from the medicine man who had lived in his home village, and though Sheik had shown a particular interest in curing illnesses and helping others, he had been selected to be a soldier to the royal family, not a doctor.

Gazing down at Link's face, Sheik wished it had been otherwise. Maybe he would have had the knowledge to understand what was happening to his friend, and why. Still, he tried. _Confusion, fatigue…emotional instability?_ Perhaps it was side effects of his returned memories, but he had not been so crippled during their journey to the lake. But then the absence of Link's shadow came into play…that was probably due to more mystical reasons than any physical ones. _Increased fatigue, irritability, disorientation._ Then the encounter with his shadow. After that, things took a downhill turn for the worst. _Fever, paleness, intense internal pain, delirium, loss of breath, weak pulse, glazed eyes, cold flesh, moist skin . . ._

Sheik froze. He had seen this happen before a long time ago. It was customary for Sheikah guardians of the royal family to inspect all food and drink to ensure that the monarchs were in no danger of being poisoned. When Sheik was a boy he had witnessed a guardian of the royal family suffering from the effects of poisoning, at least until the medicine man had asked everyone to leave the room. It had been a traumatizing event to witness for a child, particularly since Sheik himself was to be a royal guardian one day. All his life he had been told that no person was as strong or as swift as a Sheikah soldier . . .

"We are all still mortal, aren't we," he said, brushing Link's golden bangs back from his forehead.

The Hylian was so weak he could only sigh in reply, eyes so glazed and dull that Sheik began to hold little hope of ever seeing their blueness sparkle again. What could have possibly poisoned him, and why? What kind of poison was this? Tears suddenly burned within Sheik's ruby colored eyes when he realized that this might be the last moments he shared with Link ever again.

Footsteps suddenly sounded, and Sheik turned around to see the shadow standing in the doorway, black hair still wet and slicked back off of his forehead, making the long, red cut across his right cheek seem cruel and stark. He was dressed in a similar undershirt and gray tunic, although it was sleeveless and its hem fell short of his knees. His silver eyes held fear, but it was a calm fear. He murmured to Sheik, "He is passing."

"How do you know this?"

"Because," he whispered, walking quietly over to gaze down at his twin, "I feel his death as if it were my own."

Link, though on his deathbed, still managed to frown weakly upon seeing his shadow. "Go . . . away," he uttered.

Sheik moved aside as the dark haired young man sat down on the bed next to Link; very gently he took his scarred hand and laid it down upon Link's, palm to palm, and intertwined his fingers with his master's.

Tears streamed from blue eyes. "You . . . disgust me."

The shadow made no reply, but slipped his hand beneath Link's body and pulled him upright into a sitting position; Link was too weak to fight against these invasions of his person, and the only sounds of objection came from the faint moans in his throat. Gently did the shadow slip his hand underneath the hem of Link's short tunic and shirt, and placed it to the warm flesh in the small of his back.

Link gasped and closed his eyes, falling forward against his dark haired twin, resting his chin upon the sturdy shoulder. The bare hand upon his flesh, and the hand locked within his own…he felt that sensation again, like that of energy being drawn from his body. _Parasite. He's sucking out my soul._ Link squirmed futilely as the process continued, fighting against it with what little strength he could summon.

And then, almost like a wave rolling over sand, the horrible feeling of his soul seeping out of his body disappeared, instead replaced with a wonderful sensation of peace and content. It flowed over his feverish skin like a veil of cool water, and into his body through the shadow's hands; it seeped into Link's palm and up his arm, wrapping around his heart like a cool spring breeze while from the other hand came an icy, sparkling shiver that traveled up his spine and branched off into his very bones. The hellish, scorching fire within the center of his being was extinguished, and Link gave a shudder and a heavy sigh of relief.

"What are you doing to him?" Sheik asked the shadow, staring at the amazing transformation Link was going through.

"I don't know," he shadow replied hesitantly. "It just . . . feels right." Link raised his arm and cast it over his twin's shoulder, closing his eyes and hugging him close. The shadow gasped for breath, rapidly blinking eyes that were flooding with tears. "I've never felt such warmth."

For a long while they stayed as they were, holding each other in their arms while in a silence of awe and elation. Presently Professor Eldwin along with Navi came trampling up the stairs and into the room, gasping for breath; the old man carried not only the vial of red potion, but several jars and pouches and bundles of dried plants and seeds. "I didn't know what kind of symptoms I'm trying to treat, so I just brought everything I had! Is he all right?"

Navi gasped out loud when she saw Link and his shadow locked together in a tight embrace. "By Din's blazes, what happened while we were gone, Sheik?"

"He's . . . I believe he was being poisoned by something," the Sheikah said.

"Poisoned?" Navi echoed.

"I don't know by what or whom, but it was clearly enough to be fatal. But then, the shad—I mean, _he_ came in and . . . he . . ."

"Cured him, by the looks of it," Eldwin said, scratching his pointy white beard. "Fascinating."

Link murmured sleepily and his eyes fluttered open, bluer and more alive that ever. It took a few moments for him to realize where he was. He gently pulled away from his shadow and ran a hand through his golden hair, blinking groggily as if he had just awoken from a deep sleep. "What . . . happened?" he asked, his voice soft and pleasant, nothing like the tormented, cruel tone he had been using only moments ago.

"You don't remember?" Sheik asked dubiously.

"No, I," Link began. "I remember . . . the Water Temple and . . . feeling so very tired. And then the . . . the room of mist. A voice in my head . . . flower petals falling all around . . . and somebody-" Link looked up and realized he had himself wrapped around his shadow. He jerked away, though not angrily, but as if in fear. "_You_."

He frowned suddenly and reached up, delicately fingering the cut across his twin's face; it was already beginning to scab over, and would soon become a scar he carried for the rest of his days. The shadow flinched slightly, but allowed Link to trace the long path across his cheek and over his nose. "What happened to your face?"

"An accident," the shadow replied, his tone almost sad. "But you needn't worry about that. Navi and Sheik want you to rest now."

The young Hylian nodded drowsily and lay back down into the soft pillows. "Yes . . . so very sleepy . . ."

Sheik turned to Eldwin and whispered, "Would it be wise to let him go to sleep? What if he goes unconscious?"

"The rest would do him good," said the old man. "But perhaps it would be better if someone stayed and kept watch over him during the night, just to be certain he doesn't experience any rebound of his illness."

"I'll do it," the shadow said, turning to face the others. "Sheik and Navi need to rest, too. I do not. I shall keep vigil over Link."

"That's a good idea, lad," said the professor. "And if he starts having attacks again just, er . . . do whatever you did last time. It seems to work, though I wonder how . . ."

Sheik put a hand on Eldwin's shoulder. "Professor. We have not been completely honest with you."

"Sheik!" Navi chided, aware of what he was about to say.

"It would be in Link's best interest if we told him," Sheik said to her. "Besides, Eldwin might know what is happening to Link and how to fix him. I will not rest easy until I know what is wrong with him, and I certainly wouldn't want a repeat of this incident happening while en route to Hyrule."

"Well, you made a point there," Navi agreed. "Perhaps we can tell him."

"Tell me what?" the professor asked, looking back and forth between them.

Sheik led him from the room as he began, "It all started seven years ago…" His voice trailed off as they descended the stairs, and the room was left in silence. Navi, lingering behind, fluttered over to the bedside and lit upon the shadow's shoulder as he sat upon the bed, gazing at Link's sleeping face, peaceful and free from burden.

"How did you know?" she asked softly.

"I myself am not certain," he whispered. "Something inside of me became aware of his suffering, and my hands…" He held them up before his face. "They seemed to act of their own accord, as if they knew what to do. I . . . I am confused," he admitted. "I don't know what is happening to me, or to Link. I don't want to see him suffer. Do you think it is my fault?" Tears sprang to his eyes as his voice became choked with sorrow. "Do you think that I caused his suffering?"

"No, no, certainly not," Navi insisted, and darted out to catch a tear that ran from his colorless eyes. "Now don't you start crying again. That wound will never heal if you keep soaking it with tears."

The shadow smiled and laughed softly. "You are so kind to me, Navi. I owe many thanks to you."

"Bah! Think nothing of it!" Navi said lightly.

The dark haired young man reached out and tucked a lock of golden hair behind Link's elegant, pointed ear. In his sleep, the Hylian sighed softly.

"I love him," the shadow murmured suddenly. "From the moment I first saw him those seven years ago. Through the darkness of my being, he cut through like the brightest, most beautiful light I had ever seen, and left me breathless, though I had never breathed. When I looked into his eyes and saw the soul beneath, I knew I had come from him, that I had truly been his, once upon a time. And I was stunned, knowing that I had been born from his beauty, his pureness, his light . . . and I knew then that he was not my enemy.

"No matter how you may look at it, _he_ is my creator, not Ganondorf. The Dark One may have given me flesh, but Link had given me life long before he was even aware of it. I am not evil. I, I do not wish to hurt him!"

"Don't fret, Shadow," Navi consoled the distraught youth. "You did not hurt Link—you saved him! We should all be grateful to you, for Link might not be alive right now if it had not been for you."

"I don't know . . . Maybe you are right. Still, it means nothing to me if my master cares nothing of my deeds, or of me. Why would he? I haven't even a name for him to know me by."

The shadow's grief was so apparent that Navi began to feel herself being weighed down the more he spoke. She decided to try to change the dour mood, and remembered what he had asked her to do back in the Water Temple. "Hey, would you like to hear the story of when I first met Link when he was a little boy? Oh, you will laugh! He was such a brat sometimes, and we got into all kinds of silly trouble.

"First, I will tell you of how the Great Deku Tree assigned me to be Link's guardian fairy. I was upset of course. I didn't like the idea of having to look after an unruly child, and did you know that the first thing I had to do was to wake him up? You would think the Great Deku Tree would have assigned me an easier task, like taming a fire breathing dragon! I practically had to scream my lungs out just to get him to open his eyes! He can be awfully grouchy in the morning too, so I thought I'd warn you before you tried waking him up. The last thing we need is to have a dead body to cart back to Hyrule, in very small bits if you're lucky…"

The shadow smiled and gradually forgot his sorrows as Navi sat on his shoulder and whispered the story of Link's boyhood adventures long into the night.


	12. Veil

Waking up at the first pale light of dawn was a hard habit to break, especially for a Sheikah whose custom it was to rise that early, no matter how late he had been up the previous night. Some would call it a gift, but it seemed like more of a curse to Sheik rather than any measure of grace, though it wasn't really anything worth getting irritated about. However, the young man decided to make the best of the early hours by checking on Link and the shadow.

Link was fast asleep, Navi nestled comfortably on the corner of his pillow as usual. But the shadow was nowhere to be seen. Sheik knew he would not have abandoned his post at Link's bedside for anything less than a catastrophe, so he left the room and conducted an investigation of the house from bottom to top.

Sheik at last found him, standing high upon the observation platform overlooking Lake Hylia. A light breeze was blowing from the east, and the dark haired young man stood solemnly with his back to Sheik, gazing out at the warming colors of the pale sky as the sun rose from behind the canyon walls. Sheik approached and stood by his side, turning his head and leaning forward a little so to see the shadow's face. It was expressionless, save for the awe sparkling within the gray eyes.

"Are you all right?" Sheik whispered gravely.

"A goddess approaches," he murmured. "She is made of fire, and as she rises she is setting the sky ablaze. Her power is terrifying and beautiful." He smiled, and the wind blew the dark hair from his watering eyes. "We cannot escape her glory, Sheik. But I will not flee. If this is the end of my life, I would go happily into her arms of fire rather than to return to the shadows for all eternity."

Sheik could not help but to smile at the shadow's endearing ignorance. "It is fortunate for us all that it is not the end of the world; it is merely the sunrise."

"Sun-rise?"

"Yes, the sun. As it rises, the moon sets. It marks the end of the night and the beginning of the day. This cycle of day and night is how we measure the passage of time."

The shadow looked perplexed. "Then, it is not a goddess?"

"No, although some people believe it is. It is a star, the brightest star of them all. It warms the earth and gives it light so that plants can grow and creatures can live."

"So, without the sun there would be no life?"

"It's safe to say there wouldn't be."

The shadow grinned. "The sun is the life-giver. I like that."

"Reminds you of someone, does it?"

The young man nodded. "It reminds me of _him_." He sighed easily, as if the mere thought filled him with everlasting happiness. "He is my life-giver. He is my sun. Without him, I am nothing."

"Yes, well, I wouldn't let him know that you worship him just yet," Sheik said with a hint of humor in his voice. "A person can be rather put off by it."

The shadow turned to face the Sheikah. "Do you think he will ever like me, Sheik?"

"It might take time, but Link is really a kind person with a loving heart. You haven't seen that side of him yet, but I assure you it's there. It's just . . . missing at the moment."

"Do you suppose he lost it?"

"Perhaps. But he will find it again."

"I hope so. My days have already been so dark." The shadow smiled hopefully. "I look forward to seeing the sun again."

* * *

"Link. Hey. Link! Wake up!"

Link batted his eyes open and promptly went cross-eyed trying to focus upon the fairy sitting on the tip of his nose. "Yes Nav," he muttered.

"Wow, your eyes look like roadmaps. Maybe you should go back to sleep."

"M' already awake. What do you want."

"Only to tell you that it's half past noon, and the professor is driving Sheik out of his mind. We thought we'd let you rest since you were ill last night . . . or something. Are you feeling better today?"

Link groaned in dismay and rolled over, pulling the covers over his head.

"Back to normal, I see," Navi assessed cheerfully. "Well, I suggest you get woken up and ready to depart soon, or else Sheik might be forced to come in here and use ancient Sheikah methods of torture on you. Like a freezing bucket of lake water poured into your nice warm bed."

"I'm going, I'm going," came the grumpy, muffled voice. "Just give me ten more minutes and I swear I'll be ready to go."

"All right," the fairy said reluctantly. "But if you're not up by then I'm going to send the shadow in here to stare at you."

The covers were thrown back and Link was up on his feet, staggering sleepily about the room and looking for his boots. "Did I leave them downstairs? Are the horses ready? Damn it, where's my blue tunic? Is it dried out by now, you think?"

Navi flew to him and landed on his head, beginning to groom the locks of golden hair still sticking wildly up in every direction. "I think you need to comb your hair first, silly. You look like you've been struck by lightning."

"I don't care about impressing anyone," he huffed.

"You _should_. After what happened last night, you've plenty to do to earn back some respect, at least to Sheik, or so I've heard."

Link frowned. "Why? What have you heard? What happened last night?"

"Well, if anyone should tell you it should be me. Or maybe not. Perhaps you'd be more comfortable if Sheik told you since he's a man, but he was the one who was . . . eh, well . . ."

"What?"

"Forget it. I'll let the professor tell you. He can describe it more scientifically than I can."

* * *

"-sudden, inexplicable fits of unprovoked aggression, coupled with undeniable sexual deviance—directed towards your friend here—during which you were spouting a plethora of the most vulgar, immoral and debased utterances these old ears have ever heard, if what Sheik tells me is indeed correct. I do believe you would have made even pirates blush with shame, my boy."

And then he began to relay the dialogue word for word while Link sat at the table with the most horrified look on his face that any of his friends had ever seen. It goes without mentioning that his cheeks was as red as the fiery chasms of Death Mountain, and probably hot enough to fry an egg on. He looked up across the table at Sheik, sitting rather uncomfortably with his arms crossed as he listened to Professor Eldwin recount the entire incident that happened last night. The old man seemed to be only too cheerful to oblige, and didn't spare any of the juicy details.

When at last he had finished, Link hid his face behind his hands. "I'm so embarrassed I could die," he moaned softly.

"There there, Link," Navi said. "You're only human."

"He was definitely aware of that last night," Sheik added, attempting to make light of the situation. "I had no idea your knowledge of profane vocabulary was that vast, Link."

"Please, don't bring it up," he begged. "I'm ashamed enough as it is without you all rubbing it in."

"It's a good thing your shadow came in and saved you," Eldwin said. "Otherwise you might be facing a situation right now even more awkward than this one."

Link turned to regard the professor. "Who told you that he was my shadow?" He gestured to the dark haired youth sitting silently at the table and watching the others intently.

"_I_ did," Sheik spoke, his tone unusually formal and stiff, perhaps even slightly guilty. "I made the decision to tell the professor everything in hopes that he might find the cause of your ailment, perhaps even a cure. I would not wish to see you suffering again as you did last night, Link, not if it can be helped. I apologize if I was premature in disclosing this information to a civilian, but you must understand that I did it with only the best intentions—and your well-being—in mind. If anyone must be blamed, it is I."

"Spoken eloquently indeed," Eldwin nodded in approval.

"That is very noble of you, Sheik," Link said with a slight smile. "But there's no need to apologize. I understand your concern and appreciate what you did for me."

The Sheikah's face went blank. "Pardon?"

"Thank you."

"Link, are you sure you're feeling all right?" Navi asked in a worried tone.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You're not going to erupt? You're not going to have a conniption and scream at your shadow and make him cry?"

"No," the Hylian said hesitantly, gazing at his friends oddly. "Why? Should I?"

Sheik massaged the bridge of his nose. "Link, you were ready to kill your shadow yesterday, and today he does not bother you at all?"

"Of course he still bothers me," Link said, casting a leery gaze toward his darker other. "Who wouldn't be bothered by the discovery of their evil twin?"

"I'm not evil," the shadow said in defense of himself.

"Evil's in the eye of the beholder," Link said coldly. "And as far as I'm concerned, that's how you're beheld to me."

"Or maybe it's because the beholder has an evil eye," Navi snickered.

A single burst of laughter escaped the shadow's lips; he seemed as surprised as the rest of the company, and placed his hands over his mouth in shock. "I'm sorry-" he began, but a low chuckle from Sheik caused him to turn his attention from himself.

The Sheikah was trying his hardest to keep his composure, hiding his grin behind his fist and disguising his amusement with a cough. "This is no laughing matter," he said seriously, but one look at Link's perplexed face sent him turning around in his chair and laughing in the other direction.

"It wasn't _that_ funny," Navi muttered.

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry, Link. It was just the look on your face. But . . . you might want to have the professor examine at that evil eye of yours before we leave," Sheik managed to say before ending his sentence with a guffaw.

The shadow had his hands clasped firmly over his mouth, desperately trying to contain his giggles. Link silenced him with a scowl and Sheik at last succeeded in making a straight face; the Hylian rolled his eyes. "Now that the children have settled down, perhaps the adults can talk?"

He turned back to Professor Eldwin. "So then, you're aware that . . . _he_ is my shadow?"

"Indeed," the old man said. "Born from darkness, forged by Ganondorf into your likeness. It is most fascinating, even for dark magic. How he became conscious of himself and survived the history that you have rewritten is still a mystery to even a man of science like myself. I find it strange that neither of you cast a shadow, which is physically impossible. I don't know how to explain it. I cannot believe that I overlooked this fact; usually I take notice of the details before I see the big picture."

"Maybe these _are_ just details," the shadow said softly. "Perhaps the big picture is yet to be seen by any of us."

"Since when did you become a philosopher?" Sheik asked.

The shadow didn't answer the question, but gazed pensively at his twin. "I am drawn to you, Link," he said. "And I don't know why. Perhaps it is merely a part of who I am, but what kind of person am I? I don't know.

"Navi told me of you, your history, your childhood, your home . . . I know all about you, yet I know nothing of myself. Am I not human, like you? Does my flesh not bleed, like yours? I breathe as you do and my heart beats as yours does, yet death evades me and wounds cannot hurt me, save only those which you have given me."

He reached up and touched the long scab across his cheek. "I cannot bear for these questions to remain unanswered. I just want to know who I am. I want to know _what_ I am. I want to be given a name and a place in this world of yours, more than anything else . . . because this world is so beautiful, and I would like to stay here. With you."

Link stared back at his twin, listening to his words for perhaps the first time since yesterday. Or perhaps it wasn't so much as listening as feeling. A knot formed in Link's throat and made it hard for him to swallow, so he looked away. He was filled with many conflicting emotions: mercy, bitterness, sympathy, anger, longing . . . _longing_? For what? What could this shadow _ possibly_ have that Link would long for? Nothing! He wasn't even human!

The shadow was doing something to him. Controlling him. Link felt it. Something ominous was hiding behind that seemingly innocent façade, a terrible soul-draining energy. Yes, that monster was out to claim his soul like some sort of hellish leech, to suck it from his body until he was nothing but a shell. That thing was Ganondorf's legacy, and had set out to accomplish what even the Gerudo Lord himself could not . . .

"Link?" Navi asked, seeing the blue eyes go distant.

But he did not hear her.

"Link!" she repeated.

Eldwin rose from his chair in alarm. "Is it happening again?"

"I don't know," Sheik uttered.

The shadow, seated a safe distance from Link, reached over and placed his hand upon the Hylian's shoulder.

Link suddenly shook his head, as if snapping out of a daze. "I'm sorry. What? What's happening?"

"Short term memory loss," the professor diagnosed.

Link turned to face his twin, who still had his hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing?" he asked, though not unkindly.

"Your thoughts were misleading you," he whispered. "I would never steal your soul. I needed you to know that."

The hand upon his shoulder felt warm and soothing, and Link felt that invisible veil of peace flowing over his body as he stared into the gray eyes. He opened his mouth and did not even realize he had spoken until he heard himself say the words: "I know."

Sheik turned to face the old man. "You must help him," he whispered urgently. "He is changing, and we haven't much time to work with. Professor, I implore you-" He clasped his hands together in a gesture of prayer. "-please tell us how we might be able to help him."

Eldwin sighed heavily. "I am afraid my knowledge of this type of science in terribly limited. If the answer were there for me to find, I surely would have found it by now. But it is veiled from my sight, hiding somewhere out of my field of expertise." He stood from his chair and placed his hands upon the table.

"You will not find the answer you seek from any professor or physicist; you must go to one who possesses scientific knowledge and wisdom, but who is also learned in the mystical arts—magic of both nature and religion. The ancient spiritual mages . . ."

Link gazed at the professor, his face pale. "The druids," he murmured.

"Impossible," Navi said. "The druids left these lands centuries ago. Nobody has any idea where they went, even _I_ don't, and that's saying a lot. For all history knows, they died out hundreds of years ago."

"Save one," Eldwin said.

"You _know_ a druid?" Sheik asked in awe.

"Not personally, although I've heard much about him." The professor wrinkled his brow, looking suddenly very old and tired. "Falavus Talrhos was one of the last druids to dwell in the Lost Wood before the rest of his kind disappeared. As the legend goes, the druids used to keep the forest sacred and alive with magic; they nurtured plants with miraculous powers, and some say that they even blessed the trees with the power to speak. Fairies flocked to the forest, drawn by the magic and peace which the druids cultivated for all living creatures.

"But as the druids became fewer and fewer the forest slowly began to fall asleep, and the magic began to disappear. The trees became just trees once more, and the plants they had grown withered away with the passage of time.

"There was only one tree that remained when Falavus departed, the oldest, wisest tree in all the forest. He asked it to keep watch over the wood, to keep what little magic remained in it safe and sacred until the day when he would return again. And so when Falavus left and moved into the dark forests of the south, the tree used the powers that it had been taught to cast a spell over the entire wood, and some say that is how it became as it is now, the Lost Wood of Hyrule, the last realm of the druids of old."

Link's mouth hung open slightly as he said in a hushed whisper: "That's impossible. I . . . I know the tree of which you speak. I was raised in Kokiri Village, in the Lost Wood itself. That tree was the Great Deku Tree. But…but that had to have been hundreds of years ago!"

"Long before the Kokiri people came to live there," Eldwin said. "Sheik told me of your childhood living in the Lost Wood. I must say, I never believed in that old legend, but now it seems that you are living proof of it, my boy."

Sheik frowned. "But you say this mage, this Falavus Talrhos, can help us, shouldn't he be long dead by now?"

"Some say he is, some say he isn't. Legend has it that he still dwells in the southern forest, the last of the druids, and one of the few beings who found immortality through divine wisdom and knowledge. Over the years many people have sought his counsel: Hylian kings and queens, wizards, warlocks, magicians . . ."

"But?" Link put in.

Eldwin made an uneasy face. ". . . But most who walk into the forest never walk out."

"Charming," Navi commented dryly. "Curiosity kills the quest."

"I wouldn't want to be killed," the shadow said softly.

"You think _I_ would?" Link muttered. "Besides, you're not even alive. You don't have to worry about being killed."

The shadow looked hurt and offended. "I am _so_ alive! Maybe not in the way most people are, but I'm a living being, too."

"The question _is_-" the Hylian emphasized, ignoring his twin. "-do we have the time and the reason to risk traveling through the southern forests—the _most_ inhospitable forests in all of Hyrule—in search of a man who is probably centuries dead by now?"

Sheik suddenly slammed his fist down on the wooden table, causing everyone sitting at it to jump in alarm. When they looked at him, his eyes were angry and shining with wetness; his gaze was fixed upon Link.

"You almost died last night before my very eyes," he whispered hoarsely to him. "I don't think you realize just how serious it would be if you were to be killed with your mission still incomplete. None of us were chosen to wield the Master Sword. We cannot finish the quest in your place, for there is only _one_ Hero of Time. It all ends when you place that sword back into the stone from which it came. If you die before then, so does Hyrule.

"Link, there is some force at work here that none of us can understand or explain, and it nearly took your life. Any risk is worth taking if it means keeping you alive to finish this mission."

A painful and indignant expression crossed Link's fair features, and he said in a dark tone: "Is that all you care about? The quest? Is that why Zelda sent you to 'watch over' me, to make sure I completed all of my tasks?"

"You _know_ I care for you, Link," Sheik said angrily, "otherwise I wouldn't be defying my orders for the sake of your well-being. _You_ come first, not the quest."

"So you _were_ ordered to spy on me-!"

"I was ordered to keep you from _straying_ from your main objective. That was only my secondary order; my highest priority is and will always be _ your_ safety, and if it were to become jeopardized as it is now, I was assigned to take all measures necessary in order to protect it, regardless of the mission."

"That's reassuring. For a moment I was beginning to believe I've been nothing but a convenient means to an end," Link muttered.

"I was not lying when I said I would be willing to die for you," Sheik said softly, "and that is not a part of my contract for this quest. It is my own decision, Link. I would rather die at twenty defending you than to live to a hundred serving the royal family. I mean every word of it, from the bottom of my heart."

Link seemed stunned into silence, his lips attempting to form words that could begin to describe his deep appreciation for the incomparable loyalty his Sheikah friend had sworn to him, yet he could not speak for the power of it all. Instead, his cheeks colored slightly and he stared back at Sheik, blue eyes glistening with untold emotion.

And everything that he wanted to say was spoken wordlessly in his sapphire gaze.

Professor Eldwin conspicuously cleared his throat. "Right then. Perhaps I should go find a map for you to take on your journey into the southern forests, yes?"

* * *

With the sun passed its zenith and slowly beginning to make its path toward the west, the four travelers, rested and refreshed, readied themselves for journey once more. Professor Eldwin was kind enough to lend them some supplies, such as oil and two extra lanterns for their expedition into the dark forests, some blankets, a pair of machetes for cutting away thick brush, and enough dried fish to last them for several weeks, even though the shadow was courteous enough to point out to the old man that he needed no food to sustain himself.

Eldwin laughed it off, and said that the young man was more than welcome to keep the outfit he had borrowed. "Heaven only knows why I kept that thing around; I don't think I've worn it in thirty years. Well, at least I've finally put it to a charitable use, and it looks much better on you than it did me, ho ho!"

The shadow, overcome with gratitude, threw his arms around the old man and embraced him as a son embraces his father. "You are the kindest, most generous person I have ever met," he said as tears threatened to spill from his gray eyes.

The professor laughed. "Ah, but you haven't met many people yet, have you?"

"None can be as wonderful as you," he insisted.

"Bless you, lad. You're going to make an old man cry if you don't stop being so dear!"

Link happened to overhear the conversation as he was adjusting one of the horses' saddles, and rolled his eyes while making a disgusted face. Luckily neither of them saw this display, but Sheik did, and he couldn't help but to smirk: "Jealous, are we?"

"In your dreams," he retorted. "Perhaps Eldwin would be willing to adopt him and we can all just go home."

"And where is home for you, Link?"

"Where the heart is," he said flatly. "And my heart belongs to the Lost Wood."

"No wonder you're so confused," Sheik murmured under his breath, and then turned his attention back to loading the extra equipment into the saddlebags. A few moments later he was startled by a voice beside him:

"Horses are interesting creatures. I've never seen a real live one before."

It was the shadow, standing by the horse's head and gently petting it. Sheik refrained from demanding how on earth he had managed to sneak up on him like that, especially since a well-trained Sheikah is always conscious of his surroundings and any enemies that might be lurking there, particularly ones that approach quietly from behind.

"Uh, yes. Horses," Sheik said uneasily. "Very interesting and useful, I agree."

The horse neighed loudly and jerked away from the shadow's touch, anxiously champing at his bit and stomping the ground. The dark haired young man was shaken slightly. "Does he not like me or something?"

"Horses are fickle. They like some people better than others."

Navi flew in between them and said, "Or it might have something to due with the fact that you're a shadow…oh, hey. I didn't mean anything by that. Don't be offended."

"It's all right, Navi," the shadow sighed. "After all, it's what I am, and nothing more."

The fairy sighed gently, and flew over to check the maps Eldwin had given them.

The shadow turned to the Sheikah and asked hesitantly, "Sheik, I've been curious. What is this quest that you and Link spoke of earlier? Not the quest we are taking now, but the one you seemed to be on before I was rescued?"

"Oh…yes. _That_…" Sheik faltered for a moment, knowing that perhaps it was best that he not tell the shadow he was to be taken to Hyrule to face his judgment, and the decision of whether he should live or die would be made. No, the truth would have to be bent a little for the time being.

Once he had collected his thoughts, Sheik said lightly, "Our mission was to find you. I know it must sound surprising but the reason is this: when Ganon was defeated and time rolled back, all remnants of his reign were supposed to disappear; it would be as if he had never been born. Time was in the process of mending itself when something happened—it stumbled across the single remnant that gave proof of Ganondorf's existence."

". . . Me," the shadow whispered sullenly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Time is not aligning as it should be. You were created by a man who is supposed to have never lived, and now we have to figure out how we can 'correct' this problem before time runs out. If we can't get Time back on track before the moment of Ganondorf's defeat . . ." Sheik trailed off.

"Will Link be endangered?" the dark haired young man asked.

"Yes. We all will."

The shadow set his jaw determinedly, took a heroic stance and said, "Then I shall do all I can to help you. I don't care if you say it is not my fault—I'm responsible for this situation, no matter how indirectly it may be, and I'm willing to do anything to return things to the way they should have been. For you, my friends, and for Link. For Hyrule."

Sheik could not conceal his fond smile. "You speak like the Hero of Time."

"I am glad to at least share that trait with him," the shadow replied with a grin.

"Speaking of which, it looks as if the Hero of Time could use a hand," Sheik nodded toward Link, who was trying to adjust the saddle strap on the other horse, which was being most uncooperative. The shadow smiled brightly at the opportunity to help his master, and trotted over to see what he could do.

The Hylian was cross and not in the best of moods when the shadow appeared over his shoulder and asked, "Need some help?"

"No, thank you," Link snapped. "I've done this hundreds of time and can manage on my own. It's just that this beast here doesn't feel like wearing a saddle today." The horse snorted loudly in agreement. "Besides, you wouldn't even know what to do."

"I would if you would tell me how," the dark haired youth said gently.

Link sighed. "That would take even longer than if I did it by myself. Go make yourself useful someplace else." He returned his attention to the stubborn horse. "Now be still so I can get this strap tightened, and don't puff your belly out this time . . ."

Crestfallen, the shadow walked away and stood at the horse's head, stroking its nose soothingly. "Does he have a name?" he asked.

"Glynfrid, I think."

"Hello, Glynfrid," he whispered to the horse, which, while uneasy, gave him its full attention. "It's all right. I won't hurt you . . ."

While Glynfrid was momentarily distracted, Link managed to properly secure the strap before the horse was even aware of it; the Hylian stood to his feet and sighed with relief. "Finally! You decided to cooperate, eh?" Then he noticed the shadow whispering to the horse, keeping its mind away from the saddle strap.

"I'll be damned," he uttered. "I guess you actually are good for something after all, aren't you?"

The shadow regarded Link but said nothing, casting his gaze downward after a while. Link puzzled. What was his problem?

_Even the animals have names to go by . . ._

Link froze, unable to understand where that random thought that flitted through his mind had come from, but he understood its meaning nonetheless. "A _ name_?" he asked the shadow incredulously. "Is _that_ what you're moping about?"

The young man seemed surprised, but he nodded in answer.

Link sighed. "Fine. You want a name? I'll give you a name, then. Something that describes you for who you are." He crossed his arms and mused while the shadow was riveted to the spot, breathless and motionless. A name! Was he finally going to receive a name?

"Who you are, what you are," Link muttered his thoughts aloud. "Well, you're dark, you're a shadow. You're strange, you almost killed me once . . . You've no color or family, you've no purpose . . . Damn, what _are_ you? I can't even think of a name for you. Your whole past is just veiled in mystery, and-" Link suddenly paused, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a barely visible smile. "Veiled in mystery. Your purpose and meaning evades you, but you seek to find the answer . . . don't you, Veil?"

The shadow named Veil allowed his mouth to fall open slightly in shock and wonder. "Is that . . . my name?"

Link shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want. And if it keeps you from weighing us down with angst and gloom the whole journey, then yes. It's yo-"

"I am Veil!" the dark haired lad exclaimed joyously. "I at last have a name, and it is Veil! Navi! Sheik! Professor! The Master has given me a name!"

"Shut _up_!" Link hissed, grabbing Veil by the collar and jerking him down. "Stop shouting! I thought I told you not to call me Mas-"

Veil grabbed Link's face in his hands and said with tears brimming in his eyes, "Thank you, Master." And then he pressed his lips to Link's in an overwhelmingly passionate display of gratitude.

"Mmmmph! Mmmrrmph!" the Hylian wrestled to pull himself away from the unwanted ministrations of his twin, only succeeding in tripping over his own boots and crashing down onto his back, dragging Veil down with him.

Navi flew into the scene with a cry of, "What on earth is going on over here!"

Veil looked up at the fairy and smiled weakly. "I was just thanking Link for giving me a name."

"A name? Really?" Navi gushed gleefully. "How wonderful! What-"

"NAVI!" the forgotten Link shouted, squirming on the ground beneath Veil. "Tell him to get off of me before I-! I-!" A strange look came into his blue eyes and he ceased shouting, feeling once again that strange sensation like cool water flowing over his body. Anger calmed, he gazed up into the gray eyes above his own and said softly, "Please get off of me, Veil."

"Of course," he replied, but not before giving another grateful kiss to Link's blushing cheek.

"Don't do that!" Link cried.

Veil laughed merrily at the red-faced Hylian, and helped to pull him to his feet. "Do forgive me—I just can't seem to help myself."

"Yes, well, you'd better learn quickly," Link muttered. "The last thing I want is some queer twin of mine groping me this whole suicidal quest."

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind if Sheik did that to you," Navi snickered from above.

"You little gnat-! I told you to never speak of that!"

Navi laughed, flying just out of Link's reach as he shouted and snapped at her for bringing up the intimate affair of the previous night. All the while Veil was trying to ease his master's embarrassment by talking to him soothingly, though his words were drowned out by Link's bickering.

"PARDON ME, CHILDREN."

All three stopped their squabbling and turned to see Sheik sitting astride the other horse, gazing down at them with an expression that was less than thrilled.

"Though I'm absolutely _dying_ to join in the melee you've started, I thought it best that we get moving. The horses are ready and I'd like to reach the forest before next week. All right?"

"Sounds fine," Link chirped. "Veil, you ride with Sheik. Navi, come with me."

"Ah, you've named him?" the Sheikah said pleasantly. "Splendid. You'll have plenty of time to acquaint yourselves with one another as you'll be riding together."

"What!" Link spouted.

"Look, this horse is carrying twice the supplies as yours, and is not fit to bear two riders. Veil has not yet learned how to ride properly, so I thought he would do good to learn from one of Hyrule's best."

Link didn't even bother to argue; he stared at Sheik through half-closed eyes before muttering. "Fine. He'll ride with me. Come along, Veil."

Veil looked as if he were about to burst with happiness, though his excitement was staunched the moment he tried to climb into the saddle. It took several tries and much shoving on Link's part, but at last Veil was seated upon the saddle, though holding the horn for dear life.

"It's so high up," he whispered, hunching over a little.

Link sighed impatiently and griped, "Move back. The driver sits up front, so get your foot out of the stirrup." And he easily swung up and into the saddle. Veil instantly wrapped his arms tightly about Link's waist and laid his chin upon his companion's shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to keep from falling," Veil said in a fearful voice. "I've got nothing to hold onto."

"Well, ease off a little! You're going to cut off the circulation to my lower body."

"Squeeze him hard," Sheik winked. "He could use a good numbing down there, especially since last night."

"Again with the sworn unmentionables!" Link cried. "Would you all kindly get off my back for the rest of the day?"

"I think I'll be staying here a while," Veil said as he stared at the ground a few feet below, then turned his head to whisper in Link's ear, "But I won't say anything to make you uncomfortable, I promise."

Link shifted uneasily. "It's not what you _say_ that makes me uncomfortable so much as what you _do_ . . ."

"I'm sorry. I will try harder, Link."

"And you can start by not breathing down my neck. And sit up. You're not going to plunge to your death, so you've got nothing to be afraid of. You can be such an infant." With a quick sigh and a roll of his eyes, Link took up the reins and nudged the horse's sides gently.

They thanked Professor Eldwin once again for his hospitality and bid their farewells, and then began to make their way east, past the canyon walls surrounding Lake Hylia, where they would then turn south, travelling into the deep, dark, uncharted forest in search of Falavus Talrhos, the last druid to have dwelt in Hyrule.


	13. Darkest Before Dawn

Riding with Veil was not the unbearable torture Link had expected it to be, though he was annoyed at first by the shadow's casual conversation, or attempts at it, to say the least. Link kept his replies blunt and to the point, hoping that perhaps his frank demeanor would put a damper on Veil's chattering. Instead, the shadow happily took to talking to himself, knowing full well that Link was listening.

While an hour of this would have easily driven any other person out of their sanity, Link was oddly not bothered by it, most likely being the fact that their voices sounded so similar, though Veil's was perhaps a little deeper than Link's, and breathier, calmer, more fluid. It was almost relaxing to listen to, and every now and then Link would forget about it, or suddenly wonder if he had been thinking aloud. This happened several times, for wherever the Hylian's mind wandered, be it the cool spring breeze that rolled across the vast expanse of Hyrule Field or the warm sun above, Veil's spoken words echoed these thoughts.

And gradually, Link began to grow comfortable to his twin's voice, to find ease in his presence. He tried to pretend—just for a moment or two—that Veil was his brother, and this quest was not happening, that they were not about to venture into the arms of danger and darkness, and that all was right in the world. It was a nice thought that filled Link with warmth, but soon reality found its way to him, and he shook the idea from his mind.

Nonsense. Veil was not his brother. Veil was his shadow. He wasn't even a real person. What good was pretending going to do? It was ludicrous. He would do better not to waste his time entertaining these pointless fantasies.

Gazing down at the shadow of Glynfrid cast by the sun's angle, and seeing no indication of the riders upon his back, Link could not help but to feel as if he had been infected, diseased by the being who should have never been. Deep inside, his heart was filled with guilt for his thoughts, but he would never say so. Not to Veil, or anyone. And so he kept his mouth shut, and hoped that they would reach the edge of the forest soon.

* * *

Veil himself talked freely and openly about anything and everything, talked for the sake of talking, knowing that someone was there to listen. The joy of human companionship filled his heart to bursting, and with good reason; he had longed for this moment for an eternity, and now it was finally here. He was reunited with his master, and no bonds or tethers could restrain the torrent of happiness and gratitude rushing forth from his heart.

Everything was new to him, the clouds above in the blue sky, the warm orb of the sun, the cool wind, the flowing grass, the brightly colored flowers. When they had stopped for a short mid-afternoon break, Veil had wandered off to each and every patch of wildflowers, discovering the gift of scent, and had sprawled out upon his back on the soft grass, closing his eyes and relishing the warmth of the sun soaking into his dark clothes.

Navi, unable to contain her natural urge to frolic as fairies do, joined Veil in wallowing in the beauty of the earth. She pointed out each specie of flora to him, and instructed him on how to weave wildflowers together to form a circlet. He wove a crown of rose angel for Link, which looked very lovely in his golden hair.

Everywhere was life, all around him: the tiny blue beetles that crawled around in the soft dirt, the big green grasshoppers that jumped in the foliage, the bees buzzing about with the butterflies, the furry rodents scurrying in the tall grass, and he was enraptured by the birds that flew up above, and delighted in their songs. The most wonderful creatures in all the world, he said of them. He would like to live in a place that was filled with songbirds, so joyful and carefree as they rode the zephyrs with merry ease.

Life, he came to realize, was beautiful, and living was divine. It made his existence before his rescue seem horrific, agonizing, and torturous. And to most, it would have been.

For Veil, it had been a seven year stay in hell, locked away from the world above. For seven long years he had waited alone, each hour stretching itself, drawing out so that it time seemed almost nonexistent. There was nothing but water and mist, endless and yet finite, a prison cell of silence. Not a sound, not a whisper of breeze, nothing. For seven years. Nothing to do but wait. And wait. And wait again.

By the first year he had grown tired of throwing his body against the invisible walls of mist.

By the second year he had lost his mind.

By the third year he had tried every possible way to kill himself, to no avail.

He had spent the fourth year sitting under the tree on the small island, thinking. Remembering. Every little detail that came to him. And it was through memory that Veil found the will to live again. Because of Link, he found the patience to wait. Link had to return again. He just had to.

By the fifth year he had remembered the words he had pulled from Link's mind, and he repeated them again and again inside his head, practiced saying them as he walked back and forth, over and over, across the watery wasteland. He talked to the tree, but it never answered him back. Agony overtook him, and he gave up.

By the sixth year he had pulled himself to his feet again and practiced the words, even though he didn't know the meaning of some. He carried on long conversations with the tree for days and days on end; he had to be prepared for when the Master came back to find him. Always he talked of Link.

During the seventh year, something strange began to happen: the tree began to sprout and put forth leaves, a little more each day. It filled Veil with hope, and he took it as a sign that the Master was on his way. It wouldn't be long now, he knew. He relished in the belief that he had brought this tree to bloom by talking to it about such beauty and grace that the Master possessed. It was Veil's first creation, and he had hoped the Master would like it.

"Did you?" Veil asked suddenly.

"Yes," Link replied automatically, then checked himself. "Wait, I mean—what?"

"Did you like it, Link? The tree, I mean."

"Down in the temple?" Pause. "It was . . . all right."

"Does that mean you hated it, Link?"

"No."

"Then you loved it?"

Veil's hopeful tone made Link swallow down his initial response—which would have been the same answer as the previous question—but knowing how sensitive the shadow was, decided to go with an unanimated: "Yes, I loved it. It was very nice."

Veil gave a gleeful squeeze to Link's waist. "It makes me so glad to hear that, Link!"

"Why on earth are you saying my name every five seconds? It's not like you're talking to anyone else."

Veil seemed alarmed by the question. "But . . . it's the most wonderful name in the world. I love to say it. Unless you'd rather I call you Master . . ."

"No, thank you. None of that servant-master talk anymore, Veil."

Link felt the arms unwrap from around his waist slowly, hands coming to rest upon his hips. The shadow's voice whispered into his ear: "I like hearing _you_ say my name even more."

A head rush sent Link's senses reeling sideways, and suddenly his cheeks were burning hotly. Veil's mysterious touch sent strange feelings fluttering through Link's insides, like butterflies made of pure light; delicate, sparkling and frosty. They danced their way from his belly to his heart to his head, where they melted into his mind and cooled the hot temper that had been boiling there. Peace. Patience. Temperance.

Link's tense body became relaxed, and with a sudden sigh, his head lolled back against Veil's shoulder, his hot cheek brushing his twin's. The reins fell from his limp hands, but Veil placed one arm around Link's waist and took up the reins in his free hand. Link's eyelashes fluttered momentarily, as if he had suddenly grown sleepy—but he was not sleepy, merely overwhelmed.

"We . . . have to find this mage, Veil," he uttered. "Before this gets any worse."

"Does it hurt?" he asked gently.

"No. It feels . . ." Link tried to describe the sensation flowing through his body. "I-I don't feel like myself. I'm not in my own body. It happens . . . every time you touch me. Veil." His voice fell. "Do _you_ feel anything when we touch?"

"Only warmth, Link," he replied softly. "Warmth and peace."

"Is everything all right over there?" Sheik asked from up ahead a few paces, looking concerned.

"He is feeling strange again," Veil answered. "We should hurry if we plan to reach the edge of the forest by nightfall."

Sheik nodded without another word, and the horses trotted steadily along, heading off the eastern path to where no road led: the southern forests.

* * *

Certainly enough, as the sun began to sink into the west and turn the sky red and orange, ahead of the riders loomed an expanse of trees, their trunks thick and dark, gnarled and twisted with age. No birds could be heard, nor woodland animals scurrying about; it was silent and motionless. The forest spanned the broad gap between two sheer canyon walls, narrow at the mouth but gradually widening beyond the wood line like a funnel. If an ambush were waiting for them, they would have no place to run.

Sheik did not like it at all, nor did any of the other members of the party, judging by their uneasy reaction. Even the horses were unnerved, clomping about in agitation and flipping their tails about anxiously. Sheik turned to look at Veil, who looked at Sheik, who looked at Link, who looked at Veil, who looked at Navi, who looked at Sheik, and nobody said anything for a long time.

Finally, Veil spoke what they were all thinking: "I don't want to go in there."

"We should camp here for tonight and continue on in the morning, that way we don't burn all the fuel for the lanterns," Sheik said.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Navi agreed.

Veil slid down off of Glynfrid and then helped Link dismount. He was still somewhat disoriented, moving about groggily as if his entire body had gone partially to sleep. He was almost unable to keep his feet under himself, and would have fallen flat on his face several times had not Veil been there to catch him. After a while his condition began to improve, and he could finally stand on his own again without any assistance.

By nightfall, Link was almost back to his old self. Together, he and Sheik unloaded some bedrolls and blankets while Veil took care to see that the horses were stationed securely and properly fed and watered. Already they were becoming accustomed to the strange human's company and were no longer frightened by him. Of course, when compared to the spooky forest a few yards away, Veil must have been a welcome sight to them.

When Sheik began striking flint to steel to make a fire, Veil planted himself at his side to stare on in fascination and curiosity. He watched the sparks of light fly into the tinder of dried moss and twigs, and gaped when he saw the first gray trails of smoke begin to rise. Sheik leaned over and blew gently, feeding more twigs and kindling until the flickering orange and yellow flames were leaping cheerfully upward.

Veil looked as excited as if he had done it himself. "Sheik, you created fire!" he exclaimed.

"That's nothing," the Sheikah commented coolly, nodding toward Link who was sitting across the way, staring into the black forest pensively. "Link here has been given the gift of wielding Din's Flame, a brand of magic restricted to a rare few. Compared to him, my methods must seem most archaic."

"You can summon fire through magic?" Veil asked incredulously of his twin, who nodded in reply. "Would you show me?"

Link looked slightly embarrassed. "I haven't summoned Din's Flame since my first quest—I don't know if I can anymore."

"Surely you haven't forgotten the summon?" Sheik said. "You should still have the gift, shouldn't you?"

"There's no harm in trying," Navi said.

The dark haired young man scrambled up to go sit beside his twin, eagerly expecting to see magical flames bursting from Link's person, and wanting to get as close as he could to the action. He was like a delighted child, shining eyes, smiling face and everything.

Link, after a vaguely annoyed expression, extended his left hand, palm open and facing upward, and closed his eyes, recalling the words from his memory: "_Ember of the Goddess Din, reveal the brightest flame within. Fire that burns in darkest night, gather in my hand and give me light_."

He opened his eyes. There was nothing.

"Try again," Navi suggested.

He repeated the incantation to no avail. Veil looked disappointed. Sheik frowned. "I hope this is not a symptom of your affliction," he said. "One does not simply _lose_ the power to wield magic."

"Do you think Veil might have the gift?" Navi inquired.

Link glared at his shadow coldly.

"I doubt it," said Sheik. "He may be Link's exact copy, but only Link was bestowed the power."

Veil noticed Link's accusing stare, and defended himself with: "How could _ I_ have the gift? I didn't even know what fire was until last night!"

"Yes, well, you've had more than enough time to take it from me since then."

"Take it? How?" Veil asked, astonished that Link would accuse him of such a crime.

"Whenever you touch me!"

"How is that possible?"

"You affect me every time I'm close to you! Like you're putting a spell on me!"

Sheik and Navi stared at the two identical young men as their argument grew hotter and hotter still.

"I've done nothing to you!"

"Liar!" Link spouted, appalled. "That is a bold-faced _lie_!"

"I would never lie to you!"

"You _groped_ me all day!"

"It was nothing that you seemed to object to!"

A stunned silence fell. Link, his face a humiliated and angry shade of red, drew his lips into a thin line behind his tightly clenched teeth; he reacted swiftly, his left hand shooting out to deliver a full-forced slap across Veil's face.

But the blow never fell.

Link gasped loudly as his hand was brought to a sudden halt, and before he had even realized it, Veil had his fist clenched tightly about Link's wrist, looking as shocked by his own actions as his master. If it had been any other person, even a Sheikah with reflexes like a steel trap, the strike would have surely sent the receiver reeling backwards, for while Link possessed no superhuman strength or agility, he was still a warrior, and knew how to fell an enemy quickly.

"Let go of me," Link said gutturally. "I said let go!"

"Veil, release him!" Sheik warned, though he was more concerned by what Link would do to Veil if he did not.

The shadow's face twisted into an expression of helplessness. "I . . . can't," he uttered.

At that, Link's right arm lashed out to land a punch. With little or no thought, Veil blocked it. With a growl of fury, Link leaped forward and he and Veil went rolling head over heel across the ground.

Sheik stood up in alarm as Navi cried, "Stop it, you two! One of you is going to get hurt!"

"Unf!" Link grunted as he hit the ground hard on his back with his shadow sitting astride him, pinning down his wrists.

"Link, I'm so sorry," Veil said woefully. "Please forgive me!"

The Hylian struggled, and Sheik was almost on the verge of jumping in and pulling Veil off of him when suddenly a spark leaped up from Link's open palm, and a fireball the size of an apple miraculously burst into being.

"Augh!"

"Din almighty!"

Both Veil and Link shouted in surprise and jumped; the shadow released his twin, who sat up and hurriedly shook his hand back and forth until the burning flame was extinguished.

Immediately, Veil took Link's hand in his own, stroking it gently. "Are you hurt? Did it burn you? Are you all right?"

"Y-yes. I'm fine, I'm fine," said a shaken Link. "It didn't burn me. I'm all right."

Veil sighed thankfully and placed his hand upon the side of Link's head as they both caught their breath from the fearful shock. No signs of burn were upon the Hylian's left hand—not even a charred mark.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sheik demanded. "Would somebody care to inform me? You two were just at each other's throats!"

"I-I'm sorry," Link said in a gentle voice. "I don't know what came over me . . . I just got so angry . . ."

"I suppose you really can summon fire with magic, can't you?" Veil asked, gazing at the rather ordinary looking hand he was still holding.

"It shouldn't have worked without the spoken summon," Navi said, flying in between them curiously. "Calling upon magic requires at least an incantation or symbolic gesture, unless of course, you happen to be a wizard . . ."

"Could Link have that kind of power, Navi?" the Sheikah inquired.

The fairy was at a loss. "I don't . . . No, no he should not. Only the most powerful sorcerers can summon magic by thought alone."

Needless to say, a long silence fell after that. The fire crackled steadily as crickets chirruped in the tall grass, and somewhere over Hyrule Field, an owl hooted. The thoughts of the small party were loud despite the relatively quiet night around them.

"Try it again," Veil murmured to Link. "Try to summon the fire."

The young Hylian slowly extended his hand, and all eyes were fixed upon it. They waited a while, but nothing happened. Not even a spark.

"I don't understand," Sheik muttered, crouching down beside his friend. "Power like that doesn't fluctuate. You either have it or you don't."

"Or perhaps he just needs some flint . . ." Veil said.

"Very funny indeed," Link retorted sarcastically.

"No, I mean . . . another part. Flint and steel. Like this." The shadow reached out and cupped his hand beneath Link's, and they were motionless for a moment. Then suddenly, there was a small popping sound and sparks flew from Link's palm.

"By the gods-"

"Don't move! Don't move. Just wait." Veil slipped his fingers between Link's, and suddenly the fireball reappeared, larger and brighter than the previous one.

"V-Veil!"

"Are you in pain?" he asked.

"No! No, it feels . . . _cold_," Link smiled in wonder, watching the fire sprouting from his own flesh like a small shrub, glowing white hot and billowing. "It's a miracle."

"It's magic!" Navi exclaimed.

"Truly incredible," Sheik agreed softly, glancing toward the shadow. "Perhaps you should have been named Flint instead."

Veil grinned and said to Link, "I'm going to remove my hand now."

"Don't! Just wait-"

"You can keep it burning, I know you can." And slowly, the dark haired young man withdrew his hand from underneath Link's, and still the fire burned.

The Hylian beamed proudly. "I . . . I can do it!"

"Try tossing it," Navi instructed, but before Link could do anything the ball of fire died down to a flickering flame and then went out, leaving nothing behind but a trail of thin smoke.

"No!" Link groaned in dismay. "No, I had it! It was just there . . . why would it leave all of the sudden?"

Sheik mulled, "Perhaps you have not yet recovered enough energy to keep the flame alive."

"Or perhaps it's all a part of the strange illness that plagues you," Navi put in.

"Don't speak of me as if I'm some diseased leper," Link muttered, though he could not deny that he had been thinking of himself as such earlier that day. "It's only a small problem. By this time tomorrow we'll have found this Falavus fellow and I'll be as good as new."

"You're certainly being optimistic all of the sudden," Sheik said coolly, arching one golden eyebrow.

Link smiled, a genuine smile of happiness. "It feels good to know I've still got some magic in me."

"Well, don't forget the one who helped you find it in the first place," Navi said, zipping over to dance above Veil's ebony head. "I'm willing to bet you wouldn't have been able to summon Din's Flame had not Veil had a hand in the matter, tee hee!"

Veil smiled guiltily at his golden haired twin and helplessly shrugged. Oddly enough, Link returned the expression as if he were a mirror. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "For getting angry with you. And for trying to hit you."

"It was nothing I wasn't expecting, Link." Veil smiled slightly, his gray eyes warming as he stared into his master's blue ones. "You shall always have my forgiveness, no matter the transgression."

"This is all quite fascinating," Sheik muttered, rubbing his finger over his lower lip in deep thought. "He expected your reactions, just as he did when you first met him. Residual powers left over from Ganondorf's evil? Or is it something inherent in his actual being? Could you perhaps be sharing the same thoughts, I wonder? But how does that explain the split powers, where Link can summon magic only when in contact with his shadow? Like one mind in two bodies. Puzzling, indeed."

"My word, Sheik," Navi said. "Have you been thinking about this all day?"

"It is my duty to observe," he answered. "I merely put my thoughts to speech."

"You should speak up more often, then," Link said amicably. "Maybe if you do you'll happen upon the answer before long, and we can call off this mad adventure."

"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" Navi pouted.

The mood of the small camp seemed to lighten dramatically after that, going from a maelstrom of aggressive intensity to a comfortable medley of apologies and meek laughter. Sheik began to feel as if he were trapped in the middle of a tug-o-war, being jerked in either direction by two completely opposite characters while at the same time trying to keep the order between the two. Emotionally speaking, it was exhausting work. If Link's moods continued to swing so drastically at this rate, he felt was going to need more than just a little bit of patience to make it through the end of this quest with his sanity still intact.

* * *

After a light meal of dried meat and flat bread—during which Veil was most fascinated as his mortal friends consumed these elements—they laid out their bedrolls and stocked up on wood to keep the fire stoked throughout the night. Veil offered to take first watch, if not all watches, since he insisted that he did not need to sleep. Sheik, however, would have none of that, but the shadow was adamant in his insistence that he was best suited for the task.

"I know of the things that dwell in the dark," he said seriously. "I would be able to recognize them more quickly than the mortal eye. Rest easy—I'll not allow anything bad to befall my friends."

Sheik believed his words with no doubt in his heart, and retreated to his palette with a mind free from worry. Still, he did not remove the delicate but deadly knives concealed within the gauze strips wrapped closely about his forearms. He always slept a little easier when he was armed.

Navi said that she was going to reconnoiter the surrounding area, and Link warned her not to venture too deep into the forest. The fairy agreed and darted off with promises of her return in the morning, hopefully with news of the terrain and any problems they might encounter en route through the perilous wood.

After she had departed, Link removed his green hat and placed it on the ground beside his sword bandolier and sheath containing the Master Sword. Then, using his folded arm as a pillow, he laid down on his side and drew the rough blanket over his body, wriggling about until he had found a comfortable position. Then he closed his eyes and was quiet thereafter.

Veil sat by the fire, stirring the coals occasionally with a stick and alternating between staring into the flames and gazing out at the looming shadow of the dark forest as it was silhouetted against the beautiful star-strewn sky. He thought about Falavus the Druid, of the quest to save Time, and what would become of himself if they ever succeeded in finding out what was happening to the world. Veil had never used his imagination to its full capabilities, but he was slowly and certainly learning how.

Most of the time, however, his thoughts kept returning to his beloved master, and more than once Veil caught himself staring down at Link's sleeping form. Such power. Such fairness and grace and strength and courage within him. Veil was aware of it and he adored and admired all of it, for that was the essence of Link, and never would his devotion to him falter.

Taking no heed of his own mental admonitions and perhaps going against his better judgment, Veil reached out and brushed back a few golden strands that had fallen across Link's rosy cheek. Slowly, soundlessly, he leaned down to place gentle kiss at the Hylian's temple, smiled against the warm skin, and rose again to return to keeping an eye on the fire.

Had Veil possessed less modesty and given in to the strange urges coalescing in the core of his being, he would have kissed Link again, but his self-restraint and common decency told him not to take such advantage of his twin while he was sleeping and struggling through an undoubtedly difficult, confusing time in his life.

It was one thing to shower his affections on Link during the day, but to do so under the cover of darkness when Link was unaware of it seemed rather crude to Veil, who was much happier receiving a cross, embarrassed look than no reaction at all.


	14. Into the Night

At the first sign of dawn, Sheik arose from his sleep to find Navi returned from her scout and Veil still diligently watching over the encampment. The fairy had both good and bad news: there was no ambush awaiting them within the forest, fortunately, but the trees were wild and the underbrush overgrown, and the going would be slow even if they took the narrow path that led through. Veil said that they were well to have been given machetes by Eldwin; undoubtedly they would be in a sore position without them.

They allowed Link—who was something of a heavy sleeper—a little more time to rest before preparing to leave. Surprisingly, Link awoke on his own and was in rather good spirits, even at that early hour. Navi was beside herself in shock. It had been an age since Link had risen so cheerfully, though no one was complaining.

Once camp had been packed back into the saddlebags and the coals doused, they readied themselves for departure. Sheik and Veil each took up a machete and prepared to lead the horses through on foot while Link, not wanting to be excluded, drew the Master Sword and prepared to join them.

"Oh no you don't," Sheik chided. "Put that steel away. You're going on horseback."

"You're being absurd!" Link snorted. "With this sword I can clear a path twice as fast as the both of you together, _and_ need I remind you that I can still channel magic into the blade so that it is one hundred percent effective and efficient?"

"If we happen upon anything that looks impassable, we'll let you know," Sheik said firmly. "It wouldn't do to have you dulling your sword and wasting your energy and magic on a lot of shrubbery."

The Hylian pouted visibly but knew that his Sheikah friend was correct; he tied a rope between the two horses and grudgingly mounted Glynfrid. The three young men stared at the formidable forest for a moment before Veil lifted his machete, and boldly stepped in between the dark tree trunks. Navi flitted through behind him, and Sheik and Link followed suit.

The forest was so dark it was like walking into the night; the foliage on the massive trees was so thick that no sunlight filtered through the dense canopy overhead. How the brushes and brambles managed to grow in such little light was a mystery. Strange mosses and thorny vines wound their way around the gnarled trunks, and the twisted, upraised roots crossing the path threatened to trip anyone who did not keep their eyes open. It was indeed an old forest, and it was easy to see how it managed to survive the ages. The small group of travelers were well aware of the unwelcoming atmosphere. The forest did not like being disturbed, and strangers in its midst were most unwanted.

Veil walked ahead of Sheik, artfully swinging the machete with little effort as he hacked at the rough undergrowth. The Sheikah took careful notice of the shadow's technique and his skill with handling the blade, marveling at how similar it was to Link's. He often got the strange sensation that Link was in front of him—a feeling he could attribute to the identical ways they both handled a blade—though despite the likeness, there was something different about Veil that Sheik couldn't quite put his finger on. He brooded on it for some time before the realization came to him: "You're right-handed, Veil."

The shadow looked over his shoulder naïvely. "Eh?"

"You hold the machete in your right hand; Link is left-handed."

"Oh. Well, that's strange."

"Indeed. I thought you two would be exactly the same," the Sheikah said.

"Perhaps I'm more of a mirror image, then?" Veil suggested. "If one were to stand before a mirror with a sword in their left hand, it would appear as if the reflection held the sword in his right."

"That's a fine observation, Veil."

"Thank you," he beamed proudly. "I did a lot of thinking last night."

"Well, if you've any theories on this whole affair, don't withhold them."

"I'll be certain not to when I've thought of any. Right now I'm as in the dark as the rest of you."

"How ironic," Link said with a grin from atop Glynfrid, and Veil laughed.

Sheik himself was unable to conceal a smile. It was a pleasant change to see the pair getting along for once.

Navi, flying ever-presently at Veil's side, pointed out the way to him and helped to find the path again if it became obscured by shrubs. In short time, the light of the forest's edge began to grow dimmer and dimmer the deeper they ventured until it finally disappeared from view. The horses were perpetually nervous, and Link began to get the unsettling sensation that they were all being watched., but by what or whom he had not the faintest inkling.

* * *

They traveled onward into the forest, assured that the narrow path would eventually lead them to their destination, wherever that may be. They stopped only twice during the day for a brief rest, and Sheik swapped positions with Link, who took his place behind Veil. The shadow, unaffected by the demanding physical exertion of cutting away the densest underbrush, led the way so as his companions were not worn out by receiving the brunt of the work.

By the end of the day they had cut a good four leagues through the wood, and the two mortal young men were beginning to show signs of tiring. Veil insisted that he would manage just fine if they wanted to rest on horseback for a spell, and it would certainly get them farther than if they were forced to make camp. But Sheik decided against it, saying that Veil alone could not fend off a sudden onslaught if there were one waiting ahead, not with two out of three of them on horseback. No, they would have to stop for the night. Besides, they had made rather good progress that day, better than was to be expected.

They located a small clearing alongside the path and set up camp. Nobody spoke much, not even the talkative Veil. It was as if the forest were closing in about them and choking the air from their throats with its oppressive atmosphere—and for another thing, if there were indeed spirits lurking about, the travelers did not wish to disturb them with unnecessary bantering.

Navi said that once again she was going to scout ahead, and zipped off between the trees. Sensing the worry Link must have been feeling, Sheik placed a comforting hand upon the Hylian's shoulder and said softly, "Don't fret. She knows what she's doing."

Link nodded in agreement, but the fear still remained in his heart. He had never imagined what would happen if Navi were to be lost, never in all his days. Though he had journeyed through much worser terrains than the likes of the southern forests, there was something about this place which brought all his fears and worries to the surface. He realized how much he had taken Navi's guidance and assistance for granted, and vowed to himself to tell her how he felt as soon as she returned in the morning.

* * *

Veil once again agreed to take full watch that night, and Sheik and Link were thankfully obliged, being quite worn out from travel and fighting the undergrowth that day. No sooner had they eaten and laid out their bedding than they were both sound asleep. The dark haired young man sat dutifully between his two companions and kept watch over the fire.

The forest was almost silent, save for a lone cricket here or there, and the occasional rustle of breeze through the branches above. There was a small opening in the canopy through which a small bit of sky could be seen but it was cloudy, and no stars were visible.

Once again, Veil took to thinking deeply to pass the time. He did not like to admit it, but the forest made him nervous. Though he was certainly in no danger of being harmed or even killed, he began to worry for the lives of his master, and Sheik. They were mortal, vulnerable to injury and sickness, frail creatures despite their illusions of strength. Veil could surely defend them from harm, but what if he could not come to their aid? What if their delicate, fragile lives were broken and lost while on this quest?

It was then that Veil felt true fear for the first time in his short life. How could he have never realized it before? It was as if the horror had only just dawned upon him. But through that fear he eventually discovered the value behind mortal life, and loved his friends all the more dearly. They would not be around forever as he would be. Soon they would grow old and gray like Professor Eldwin, and one day die. And he would be alone again.

Alone.

By all the stars in the sky, not alone. Anything but that. He had spent his entire life being alone, and the thought of living in a world without his friends, without Link…it was unbearably terrifying.

Tears made Veil's eyes sting. How could human beings find happiness in life when death was all around them? How could they look forward to the next day when it might be their last? How did they do it? How could they be so filled with love and laughter and life, knowing that one day they were going to be dead and buried beneath the ground?

Through Link's memories, Veil recalled a dreary graveyard, the writings on the stone monuments obscured by the cold rain. Dead bodies lay beneath his feet. Such an absolute end. What came after death? Was that simply the end of it? Human lives were so short, so very short. It was not a matter of 'if', but of 'when'. Because one day Link will be cold and dead, lying in a box beneath the earth in an eternal sleep, never to wake again, all traces of his existence washed away like soot in rain. And he would never be coming back. Never ever. There was no such thing as forever, not for Link. Not for Sheik. Not for humanity.

Veil clapped a hand over his own mouth to stifle the sob that escaped his lips, doubling over as if he had been punched in the stomach. Pain threatened to rend his insides, which ached and twisted at this unfortunate revelation. Tears burnt their way down his cheeks, but his scar was too scabbed over to sting anymore.

Gazing down at Link, sleeping peacefully on his back with his hand tucked beneath his head and his golden hair glowing in the orange light of the fire, so warm and alive and beautiful, Veil felt sick with grief, and utterly helpless to stop the inevitable. For time, he realized, was ticking, steadily counting down from the moment his twin had been brought to life. How Veil wished he could grasp the hands of Link's life-clock and hold them still, even if he hurt himself to the point where he would scream for mercy.

Leaning over Link's upside-down face, the shadow placed his hands on the faintly rosy cheeks and gently rested his forehead upon Link's. Veil closed his eyes, and hoped that his twin of light would hear his thoughts:

_I don't want to live forever, not if forever means being without you. I don't want you to die, Link. I don't want to be alone…I don't want to exist in a world without you. I can'tI _need_ you . . ._

Tears dripped from Veil's eyes into the Hylian's fair locks.

_. . . because I love you so much._

With inhibition restraining his heart no longer, Veil tilted his head and pressed a desperate, yearning kiss to Link's soft lips, indeed, as if it were to be the last touch they shared.

_. . . For nobody knows what tomorrow will bring._

Veil did not pull away but remained as he was, holding Link's beloved face in his hands, relishing the moment for as long as he could. Suddenly, the soft lips beneath his own moved, parting with all the gentleness of a blossoming rose whose petals opened to the light, and Veil felt the warm, slippery caress of Link's tongue against his lips. Surrendering himself to instinct, Veil opened his mouth slightly and touched his tongue to Link's.

For the first time, Link was returning Veil's advances. For the first time, they were truly kissing.

The Hylian, sleeping but responsive to the touch, pursed his lips and made a soft sound in his throat, almost like a sigh of relief. The shadow, unable to control himself and unwilling to stop, dipped his tongue deep into Link's hot, moist mouth of glistening velvet, discovering his first sensation of taste. And it was divine.

Breaking away momentarily with a wet smacking of flesh, Veil pulled back and sat up. Link's eyes were closed and his face relaxed, evidence that he was indeed still asleep; however, his mouth remained open slightly, and the dark haired young man reached out to stroke the glossy bottom lip with his forefinger, admiring its unfathomable softness. Link's pink tongue darted out to fondle the tip of Veil's finger, which soon found its way between his teeth.

Veil felt himself grow dizzy as he allowed his finger to be gently sucked and stroked by the hot mouth, all the way down to his second knuckle. While to Veil this all seemed strange and new, Link was behaving almost as if it were a reflex. Little did the shadow know that he was not far off in his guess, for many babies retained the instinct to suckle in their sleep, a trait that lasted even into adulthood. But Veil knew nothing of women and even less of babies, and neither did he realize just how many unwritten laws he was breaking by initiating and encouraging this sort of behavior. All he knew was that, however curious these actions were, they filled him with a sensation unlike that which he had ever experienced: fleshly pleasure.

He did not know why he suddenly wanted to feel Link's bare skin against his own. He did not know why his pulse jumped and heat began to rise from his cheeks. He was confused, but not frightened. Like a distant memory coming back to him, Veil endured the heady powers of desire and accepted them since they seemed to be as natural as the attraction which drew him to Link in the first place. But did Link feel the same way?

Veil wanted to believe. He truly did. But he was rational, and knew in his heart that the Hylian must tell him for himself, and that these midnight affairs were no indication of his true feelings. Veil desired a conscious heart, not a mindless reflex.

He slowly withdrew his finger from Link's mouth; the young man groaned softly and shifted about, trying to get comfortable again. Then he was still, and resumed his peaceful slumber. Veil, feeling guilty for giving in to his urges so easily, could only lick the saliva from his finger and stir the coals of the fire once more.

* * *

Link awoke before Sheik that dawn—miraculously—although it would have been impossible to determine if it were day or night had not that small patch of sky been visible above. He sat up blearily and looked around the encampment. The Sheikah was still sleeping, and Veil was sitting sullenly by the fire, wearing an expression that sent something cold running through Link's heart. Without even asking, he knew: "Navi hasn't returned."

The dark haired young man turned his head to stare hauntingly at his twin. "I'm beyond all worry at this point," he whispered. "I fear something evil may have befallen her."

"Don't say that." Link lifted a finger warningly, though he felt it similarly. "She's simply late . . . or lost. She'll be back."

"Link-"

"She'll be back!" he stated firmly, then turned his face away so that Veil could not see his fear. "Don't be so quick to bury the living."

"Forgive me," the shadow said softly.

Sheik stirred and sat up slowly, running a hand through his pale yellow hair. "Mm. Did I overslee-" He stopped short when he saw the despairing expressions on the faces of the twins. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Navi's gone," the Hylian choked out softly.

"Well . . . it's still early yet, Link. Perhaps she's-"

The Sheikah's words were cut off as Link gasped suddenly and began to cry, completely breaking down with no warning. "I shouldn't have let her go-! She's so small . . . She can't defend herself. She's probably lost out there somewhere, scared to death or, or-!"

Sheik leaned forward and caught the distraught young man, holding him in a tight embrace. "Stop it. Don't think that. She's all right."

Tears rolled down Link's cheeks one after the other after the other, and he buried his face in the crook of Sheik's neck. "I dreamt of death last night," he whispered, and Veil's heart skipped a beat as he overheard. "I was so filled with sorrow…it-it hurt so terribly I wanted to die-! Sheik . . . I never even got to tell her how much I love her."

"For the love of Naryu, Link, she's not dead," Sheik snapped firmly, unwilling to allow this dismal, hopeless attitude to persist. "Come along, get ready. Veil, help Link get a hold of himself while I pack up the equipment. We're moving out. Navi is probably waiting for us on the trail ahead. Now get going, Link! I'm not letting you give up hope just yet."

* * *

The continuing journey was devoid of talk, and the only sounds came from the clip-clop of the horses' hooves and the hacking and chopping from Veil and Sheik as they walked ahead, clearing aside any overhanging vines or branches. Link sat dejectedly upon Glynfrid, not even bothering to look up anymore. It was obvious that he had little hope of ever seeing Navi again, for he wasted no breath in calling for her. He felt weak and nauseated, and his silence was one of mourning.

Sheik was concerned with the Hylian's attitude, perhaps even a bit exasperated. He didn't like being responsible for keeping constant the optimism of the team. It wasn't his job, and he wasn't accustomed to it. If anything, he was something of a pessimist to anyone who didn't know him too well, and it was only his close friends who were aware that his 'pessimism' was in truth cleverly disguised caution and forethought.

Sheik always had to be prepared for the worst situation imaginable—it was his job, after all. He could not help the fact that he was forced to bring to mind all of the horrible things that could befall them. It had become second-nature to him. To try and reverse that mental training required the ability to shun the obvious, to see beyond reality and common sense, to grasp hold of something intangible, to place every ounce of your trust into something invisible. Like faith in a higher power. To Sheik, faith is where one turned when all tactics and strategy had failed, and they were looking death in the eye. It was a last resort, not a principal by which to live.

Suddenly there sounded a heavy _thud_ on the path behind Sheik and Veil, and they turned to see Glynfrid with no rider; Link was lying face-down, motionless on the ground where he had fallen.

"Link!" they both cried, and rushed to pick him up. When they turned him over, his face was pale and sweaty, and his eyes glazed.

Sheik held him in his arms and pulled him into a sitting position, combing back the bangs from his forehead. "He's burning up," he said to Veil. "I think it's happening again. Link . . . Link, can you hear me?"

The dilated pupils moved slowly to rest upon the Sheikah's face. "Get . . . it out . . ." he managed to say in a strangled whisper.

"Get what out? What is it, Link?"

"I . . . don't know." The blue eyes closed, and Sheik gently shook him until they opened again.

He looked over at Veil, who was kneeling down and gazing expressionlessly at Link as he suffered. "Veil."

The shadow looked at Sheik, gray eyes reflecting angst.

"Help him. Like you did last time."

The dark haired young man received the limp body in his arms, and he took up Link's hand in his own, threading their fingers together. Pulling Link's body close and pressing his blond head against his breast, Veil shut his eyes and said nothing.

In short time, Link's color began to return to his cheeks and he ceased to look like a dying man, but still he remained limp and weak. Veil smiled bittersweetly and said to him, "You should tell me the moment you begin to feel it coming on, that way it's not a matter of life and death by the time action must be taken. You make Sheik and I worry."

"Don't want to . . . need you," the Hylian whispered. "You're not even . . . supposed to be here."

"Is that any way to thank the one who saved your life?" Sheik chided.

"He's the . . . reason my life's in danger in the . . . first place."

When the shadow appeared to take injury from his twin's words, it was Sheik who assured him: "Don't worry. He's delirious. He doesn't know what he's saying."

"No," Veil murmured. "He's right. I'm the one who is causing this threat to his life—to _all_ life. If it weren't for me, none of this would be happening." He bowed his head, dark hair shrouding his eyes. "I wish I had never been created."

Sheik was about to say something to reassure Veil that it was not his fault, but a low rumble suddenly sounded and the earth began to tremble slightly. The horses whinnied loudly and reared up in fear, but there was no place to run except back down the path…which was now sealed by a dense wall of brambles.

Sheik jumped to his feet in shock. "When did _that_ happen?"

"Something's not right," Veil uttered, looking around. "We shouldn't have stopped."

"What is that sound?"

"I don't know, but it seems to be getting louder."

Link whispered hoarsely, "It is . . . approaching death."

"Shit," Sheik cursed softly, drawing the blades from his arm bands and facing the path ahead. "Veil, arm yourself. No matter what happens, stay with Link."

"Arm myself with what?"

"Anything! The longshot and fairy bow are in the saddlebags-!"

Veil looked down at Link and saw that he was carrying the scabbard of the Master Sword on his bandolier; with one swift movement he reached down and grasped the hilt, pulling the gleaming blade from its sheath and holding Link defensively in his free arm. Though he felt vulnerable still crouching on the ground, with the shining steel held firmly in his scarred hand Veil became filled with strength and courage and a fierce desire to protect his master from danger.

Abruptly, the rumbling and shaking stopped and silence descended upon the forest once more.

"You think it was an earthquake?" Sheik barely breathed, tense and alert.

"I'm not sure," Veil answered. "But at least it's over for n-"

A terrifying and unearthly roar rent the air with all the force of a violent tornado, and several massive tree roots, writhing like frenzied serpents on hot coals, came bursting from the trees ahead. Sheik narrowly missed being thrown to the side as one root, as thick in girth as a man's body, swooped dangerously low over his head. The other roots took hold of anything they could reach—trees, bushes, vines—and tore them from the ground. The roaring never stopped, and it was the most hideous sound that any of them had ever heard.

"Monsters!" Sheik shouted.

"We're trapped!" Veil cried. "We can't turn back!"

"Then we have to kill them!"

To their mounting horror, there came a great row as several of the massive trees along the path ahead were snapped in half and tossed aside as if they were sticks; from the gap of splintered wood crawled forth a beast that looked like a gigantic tree-lizard.

"You mean kill _it_," Veil said, pale with fear as the monster revealed itself.

Its hide was like bark and tightly-woven vines, covered in a shell of great sail-like thorns upon its back. It walked low to the ground like a crocodile, stomping upon its three-clawed feet and each of its steps causing the ground to quake. At the front of its body was a blunt face, no eyes, and cavernous maw that produced the most ear-splitting roar any of them had heard. The jagged jaws snapped open and shut with a deafening clap. The tentacles of timber were only its tongue, wriggling about sickeningly in its salivating throat. Behind it swooped a long tail, toppling trees wherever it swung. It was a huge creature, capable of swallowing all three of them at once with no trouble, and never had Sheik dreamt of coming across a beast like this one, not in his most bloodcurdling nightmares.

"Veil, I need you over here!" he shouted.

"But Link-!"

"He'll die anyway if we don't defeat this thing, now quickly! For the gods' sake!"

The shadow, sword in hand, hastily lay Link's limp body upon the ground and joined Sheik's side, facing the monster as it came crashing toward them.

"Every foe has a weak spot," Sheik said to him. "Without Navi, it's going to be hard to find it. Try striking it everywhere, and watch out for its tongues. Once you find its weakness, attack with full force. Understand?"

"Yes!"

"Good. I'll divert its attention while you strike. Be quick about it!" And with that, the Sheikah leapt forward like a deer, dodging the roots that shot out to grab him. With a jump, he landed upon the beast's head and sank all eight blades into its woody flesh. The blades broke like fragile glass on the creature's hide, and Sheik could do nothing but hold on for his life as it began to buck and toss its head, trying to dislodge him.

Veil, snapping out of his awestruck trance, dived into the tangle of tongues with a scream and began hacking at anything within the sword's reach. The monster roared in pain as several of its severed tentacles fell to the ground, squirming like disembodied snakes.

Sheik suddenly felt something wrap around his thigh, and he realized all too late that the beast not only had tentacles in its mouth, but also along the sides of its body, though smaller. Still, it was enough to yank him off of the creature's back and into midair, where he was swung about every which way and tossed through branches and brambles alongside the path.

Veil shouted in horror and fought his way through the tongues until he was at the monster's side; he tried striking its soft-looking underbelly with the Master Sword, but each time the blade deflected with a heavy _thunk_. Something had to be done before Sheik was being pummeled to death!

Instead of trying to stop the beast altogether, Veil turned his attention to the vulnerable roots sprouting from its body, and began blindly chopping at anything that moved. Disgusting green bile spurted from the mangled stumps, and he eventually struck the one tentacle that had its hold on Sheik. The young man was tossed to the ground down the path, and the creature retreated momentarily, bellowing in pain and bleeding its repulsive juices all over the brush.

Veil ran to where the Sheikah lay, barely conscious and covered in blood from being dragged through thorns and smashed against tree limbs. The shadow knelt down but was hesitant to move him, fearing that perhaps he had broken his neck or back. So delicate. So very fragile . . .

Veil's eyes filled with tears. "Sheik? Sheik, wake up."

Crimson eyes fluttered open weakly, gazing up at the shadow. "It is impenetrable . . . Its weakness must be on the inside." He hissed in pain as he slowly propped himself up. "If only we had some bombs to toss in its mouth . . ."

"It's all right, we'll figure out a way yet."

There came a nearby sound of moving foliage, and the two young men turned to see one of the long roots slithering past them along the ground . . . toward Link's helpless body.

"No!" Veil cried, jumping to his feet. But he was too late; the tentacle wrapped itself around the Hylian's body and lifted him into the air, narrowly missing the strike from the Master Sword Veil had aimed at it. Looking at the monster, he saw that all of its tongues were retreating back into its mouth, the tongue that was grasping Link with them. The shadow lunged forward desperately, swinging the sword with all of his fury and might, but the beast was too fast for him.

Veil could only watch in sickening horror as Link was pulled into the creature's mouth and swallowed whole.


	15. Realm of the Druid

"NOOOO!" screamed Veil, riveted where he stood as he watched Link be eaten alive by the tree-monster. The beast roared defiantly, waving what remained of the rest of its wounded, hacked-up tentacles. The shadow would have probably thrown up if he had ever eaten anything—the reflex was still there, and he sank to his knees, gagging and choking on the tears that threatened to suffocate him. Behind him, Sheik was absolutely still, staring in disbelief, unable to comprehend that the Hero of Time was gone.

Link was gone.

The beast began lumbering away, satisfied with its meal. Veil raised his head, and an unholy darkness caused his gray eyes to blacken in rage. From where Sheik was sitting, several paces away, he felt the atmosphere stand still for a moment, as if holding its breath. Veil stood to his feet slowly, sword in hand, and began to walk toward the creature. It turned when it sensed that another victim was approaching, snarling deeply and flicking its many tongues menacingly.

Veil fearlessly approached, closer and closer. The monster growled warningly and took a step back, perhaps sensing its foe's anger. Sheik crawled to his feet, uncertain of what was going to happen next, momentary panic rendering him unable to move from where he stood.

The shadow stopped suddenly, staring expressionlessly at the massive creature. "What's the matter?" he uttered darkly. "Don't you feel like another helping?"

Sheik's eyes flew open wide. "Veil, no!"

But his words fell on deaf ears; Veil took a running start and, with an anguished scream, jumped straight into the great black cavern of the monster's mouth. The jaws snapped shut behind him, and the forest was quiet save for the rumbling growls of the beast who had just eaten the Hero and now his Shadow. Sheik trembled, his mind unable to grasp the fact that he was now alone, trapped in the forest with no way to get out. Link was gone. Veil was gone. Navi was gone. He was alone.

As he stood there debating whether he should remain motionless until the creature left or perhaps take one last stand against it, the beast suddenly tensed and reared back its head, bellowing in agony. It began thrashing and stomping madly, swinging its tail back and forth, breaking trees in half and tearing shrubs from the ground. The din was so frightful Sheik had to clap his hands over his ears lest he fear he go completely deaf. Even the gods themselves would have heard the noise.

The creature fell on its belly, squirming and salivating and waving its tentacles about frantically. As Sheik stared in shock, the glowing blade of the Master Sword stabbed through the monster's side from within, and ripped a great arc upward and over, partially severing the beast in half from the inside out. The creature screamed so terribly that it shook the trees and the ground, and oceans of rancid green blood and bile poured forth from the gaping wound. It clenched its jaws spasmodically as its lower half writhed and jerked in the last throes of death. And after a few seconds, it was still.

From the tangle of slimy pink organs came a groan, and Sheik ran around to where the beast lay dead. He reeled backwards as the horrible stench of steaming entrails hit him, and he had to use every ounce of his willpower to keep himself from vomiting. "Link! Veil!" he choked. "Where are you?"

With no answer and even less of a choice, Sheik waded into the carnage, slipping and sliding as he walked waist-deep through mangled flesh, grabbing onto warm guts hanging between the beast's halves to keep his footing. "Link! Veil!"

He saw movement beneath a mass of pink membrane and reached down, digging his fingers in and tearing the flesh open with his bare hands.

Link, covered in head to toe with lumpy white mucous, burst from what was presumably the belly of the beast, gasping for breath and shaking violently.

"Link!" Sheik darted forward and grabbed the Hylian in a crushing embrace. "Thank the Goddesses, you're alive."

"Wh…what happened?" Link choked, looking around. "Wh-where's Veil?"

Sheik pulled away and began to dig madly through the entrails, calling the shadow's name. Link dragged himself from the dead animal's bowels and then collapsed on the ground. From the front half of the monster, Veil, similarly drenched in foul-smelling digestive liquids, crawled out and shook the viscous matter from his limbs like a wet dog. In his hand he held the Master Sword.

"Veil!" the Sheikah cried, taking him by the arm to keep him from falling. "Are you all right? Don't you ever pull a stupid stunt like that ever again!"

"You forget I'm immortal," the dark haired young man wheezed with a smile. "It was no risk. I should have done it sooner."

Sheik had to grin. "You are something else, Veil. I'm glad you're with us."

"Thank you, Sheik . . . Ugh. All right, let's get out of this. I've only just discovered my sense of smell and this thing's guts are killing it." And together they stepped out of the coils of slick flesh and joined Link on the ground, catching their breath and staring at the gigantic monster's dead carcass.

Link rolled over onto his hands and knees, gagging and heaving up for a while as Veil patted his back comfortingly.

"Gods, Link, don't start. You're going to make _me_ throw up, too," Sheik mumbled, trying not to listen to the retching.

Once the Hylian had emptied himself, Veil took him in his arms and held him securely; he was too shaken and exhausted to resist. "Well. Now what do we do?" the shadow murmured, resting his chin on Link's shoulder.

"Keep going, I suppose," Sheik sighed. "If the horses didn't die of fright."

Link muttered, "We all smell terrible."

His friends chuckled lightly. "But at least we're alive," they said.

"And that in itself is quite amazing," came a strange, ethereal voice from behind them.

The three young men jumped and turned about to see a figure in a dark brown hooded cloak gazing down at them. The face was hidden in a shroud of shadow. In the hand was held a gnarled staff of wood. The figure had approached soundlessly, as if materializing out of thin air.

"Who are you?" Sheik demanded.

"I have many names," the cloaked person replied. "But you most likely know me as Falavus Talrhos."

"It's _you_," Veil whispered reverently.

"I was not expecting three," the druid said slowly. "But that matter will present itself in good time. I have been looking forward to your coming, though I wonder what reasons could have driven you to risk your lives so frivolously by invading my privacy and disemboweling my guardian."

"Your guardian?" Sheik uttered. "You mean that monster is a _pet_?"

"He keeps out those who wish to disturb me with their trivial requests," said Falavus, drawing back the hood of the cloak and causing the three onlookers to recoil in pure shock. "What?" the druid murmured. "You were expecting a man?"

Indeed they must have been, for before them stood a woman, looking to be in her late twenties, though her colorless white eyes seemed to belong to those of an ancient witch. Her face was plain but her radiating aura made her beautiful—stern but merciful, fearsome but just. Wavy white hair cascaded down her cloaked shoulders, and about her head was a simple circlet of silver. Her appearance was ordinary and simple, but the three young travelers could not help but to be awed by her powerful presence.

"But-" Link stammered, caught in her chilling gaze. "But we always heard that the last of the druids was a man."

"Men like to take credit for many things," she answered, something akin to amusement flickering behind her eyes. "How easily history can be twisted to suit their fancy."

Veil was in wide-eyed wonder. "I've never seen a real woman before," he said in a hushed voice.

"I am no woman," Falavus said, "and have not been for centuries. I am a creature all its own, neither living nor dead. But I digress. Gather your things and come with me. We have much to discuss."

She turned slowly and strode away, not even appearing to touch the ground, her motions were so smooth. Link, Veil and Sheik crawled to their feet and found the horses, oddly subdued and calm. The trees and briars parted before the druid as she went, leading the weary adventurers onward into the forest.

* * *

They followed the mysterious druid deep into the wood, straying far from the main path until they came across a new one, less overgrown than the last. Falavus did not speak and walked with her eyes straight ahead, never once looking back to see if the young men were keeping up with her. They were more than wary of the woman, though they dared not interrogate her for fear of arousing some ancient wrath, for anyone who kept a beast like that tree-monster as a guardian obviously did not like being meddled with.

Gradually the brambles and vines grew scarcer and more blooming shrubs could be seen, flowers of every size and color. The trees lost their scarred and unwelcoming appearance and gave way to lush green foliage. The farther they ventured the larger the trees became, until they were passing trunks as wide as some cottages, towering so high above them that their tops could not be seen.

Carpets of moss and soft grass took the place of gravel and hard dirt, and soon the forest became alive with fauna: birds chirped pleasantly above as they flew from tree to tree, rabbits and squirrels and chipmunks and deer darted away shyly as the strangers made their way through, and somewhere in the distance could be heard the gentle rushing of a river. The horses trotted along more easily now, comfortable in the benign peace of the woodland.

It grew more and more beautiful as they went, past pure streams and waterfalls. The air was warm and sweet, and the three adventurers could not help but to stare in wonder at their surroundings.

"I thought the Lost Wood was beautiful," Link breathed, eyes wide. "But now I realize I never knew the meaning of beauty."

"All things in this world are beautiful, child," Falavus said from several paces ahead. "It was mankind who invented the word 'ugly'. To the Goddesses, there is nothing in their creation that is not beautiful."

"Lady Talrhos," Sheik said respectfully, "what of the things that were not created by the Goddesses?"

"There are no such things."

"You are wrong, my lady," murmured Veil, and the druid came to a halt. The three men stopped and held their breath, fearful of her reaction. But when she did not speak, Veil continued softly: "The Goddesses had no part in my creation. I was forged at the hands of the Dark Lord Ganondorf in the image of his greatest foe, the Hero of Time. It was only through the grace of the Hero that my consciousness was awakened and I was freed from evil."

Falavus was quiet for a long while. Then she slowly turned and gazed at the travel-worn companions. "So," she said finally, "that is why I sensed only two of you . . ." The druid gazed directly at Veil. "Because one of you has no soul."

* * *

"I _knew_ it," Link repeated, shaking his head as he removed his crusty, smelly hat. "I knew all along that he was after my soul. That explains everything."

"Except for the fact that when Veil was supposedly 'sucking out your soul' you grew better instead of worse," Sheik argued.

The two were standing along the banks of a narrow river where Falavus had sent them to cleanse themselves of the filth and gore they had unfortunately wallowed through. It was not far from her home, which turned out to be one of the giant trees that had been hollowed to form a comfortable shelter. It reminded Link much of his own home back in Kokiri.

The druid had kept Veil by her side as she sent Sheik and Link to the river, saying that she would like to speak with the shadow for a moment and that she would return him shortly. Veil's absence gave Sheik and Link time to discuss matters of importance that they did not wish for him to overhear.

Link, fully recovered from his frightful ordeal, said irritably, "He could be making me sick on purpose just so he has an excuse to try to get at my soul. His 'healing' trick could all be a farce designed to turn our eyes from his true intentions."

"Which are?"

"Stealing my soul, of course!"

"What could Veil possibly want with your soul, Link?"

"I don't know. Probably put it to some evil use, like destroying the world."

"Veil's about as evil and destructive as a kitten. If he were really stealing your soul, I doubt he would even know it."

"It's not my fault he's stupid," Link muttered.

"Now listen here," Sheik said with open hostility in his voice, "Veil worships you. He saved your life at Lake Hylia, once again when you fell off your horse, and recently he jumped down a monster's throat, in case you have forgotten. You would have been long dead by now if it weren't for him, and don't try to make excuses for denying him a shred of respect or dignity by trying to pin this whole mess on him."

Link was taken aback at this outburst. But Sheik was not finished:

"I don't understand what makes you hate him so fiercely when he has never _ once_ committed a crime against you. He has only ever loved you, and how do you repay him? By calling him names, demeaning him, denying him the courtesy you show to everyone else. Just because he happens to have been a product of Ganondorf's evil, you think that that gives you the right to treat him like shit all the time? To walk all over him as if he were less than dirt? Veil is made of tough stuff if he can still find it in his heart to exalt you after the horrible way you've treated him."

Sheik paused to take a breath, his tongue still stinging from his heated words. "You're not the Hero you used to be. I don't know who you are anymore." And he walked away, leaving Link standing alone by the river.

Though the young Hylian was visibly hurt by his friend's harsh words, the more he tried to push them from his mind the more he realized that Sheik was right. He was not the person he used to be. But what does Sheik know about him anyway? All he knew of Link was from what Zelda told him, and perhaps the three or four days they had been on this wild quest together. What does he know? What does he care? Link shucked off his filthy clothes and tossed them to the ground.

_What do I know? What do I care?_

He gazed down at his nude reflection in the gently flowing water. "And who is the Hero of Time?" he murmured to his rippling image. Mottled bruises. Red scratches. And a deep wound that could not be seen from the outside.

For the first time in years, Link sat down and drew his knees up to his chest, hid his face in his arms, and cried.

* * *

Veil hitched the horses to a slender tree on the edge of the grassy, sun-dappled clearing in which the house of the druid stood. Falavus had gone inside for a few moments and now she returned, devoid of her cloak and clad plainly in a brown peasant's dress. She looked much less threatening than earlier, though her expression was troubled as she approached Veil.

"So then," she said. "Veil, is it? You say your creation was at the hands of the Dark Lord?"

"It was, my lady. Forgive me for noticing, but you don't seem to be wondering who he is. Do you know of him?"

"Indeed, I did," she replied, taking a seat on a nearby boulder and beckoning for Veil to sit beside her. "Time has no meaning to an immortal. I knew well of the Hero, and how he succeeded in his quest to vanquish the Dark Lord, reversing time to set the wrong things right again. Noble and courageous of him, though he seems to have changed from what I imagined him to be."

"He has endured much since he was called on another quest," said Veil. "From what Sheik tells me, they sent him back to his childhood to try to live a normal life. Time was supposed to line up and mend itself into an age free of all traces of Ganondorf's evil…but when time caught up to the point of my creation…" he trailed off.

"Things went awry," Falavus finished softly.

The shadow nodded, gazing at the ground. "And now the fate of the world is in peril because of my existence, and I am endangering the life of the only one who has the power to save it; twice has he come close to death because of me, and he is on a quest to try to find some way to clean up the mess I have made before it is too late. If he perishes before he has found the answer..." He trailed off.

"Veil," the druid said in an unusually gentle tone, "you may be upset by what I am about to tell you, but perhaps it shall shed light on what must be done to correct this flaw in time."

She placed a hand upon his shoulder. "From the moment you and your companions entered this forest, I sensed your presence by the energy being radiated by your souls. I detected only two, and one of them was ill. I presume it was Link's, correct?"

". . . What? His soul is ill? What does that mean?"

"Patience. I will explain it all in due time. You must understand this: each human on this earth was given a soul by the Goddesses, each one unique in its own way, each one free to choose its own path. When the Dark Lord created you, you were given no soul, for you were not a part of the Goddesses' divine plan; you were a part of Ganondorf's plan.

"For you see, Veil, the Goddesses have meaning and purpose for all things of their creation. Every leaf, every grain of sand, every drop of water, every living thing upon this earth was put here for a reason. The power to forge life, though a natural gift in living creatures, is an impossible feat to accomplish by magic and dark powers alone. Or at least . . . I thought it to be."

"The Dark Lord was very powerful," Veil whispered. "He must have figured out a way to do it."

"So I suppose. Pray, tell me of your origins."

"Well," He licked his lips nervously. "I know a little from what Ganondorf told me, and perhaps a bit more I've managed to piece together from Sheik. I . . . I was Link's shadow, once. The evil that was plaguing Hyrule during his original quest, it . . . I don't know, somehow it made me become more than just a shadow, yet a shadow I was still. I later became separated from Link, though I cannot remember how. I wandered lost for what seemed like ages, and then . . . the Dark Lord found me.

"Ganondorf captured me, bestowing me with flesh and form. He gave me a body identical to that of Link's . . . and as long as my flesh was being poisoned by Ganondorf's lies, I was under his control. I did what he told me to do, for I had no mind of my own. I had no sense of self, no life . . . only a desperate need that drew me to the one from whom I had been torn.

"Link fought and defeated me. He stabbed me with my own sword and destroyed the evil that was poisoning my mind. He thought I had died, but I was only just born. He departed before I had a chance to recover, and I was left stranded and trapped where we had fought.

"Link saved Hyrule and turned back the time, but time to me had stood still. For seven years I waited in my prison of mist, locked away from the world above. My only desire, the only thought which kept me alive was that one day Link might return and save me."

"You were right," Falavus said.

Veil looked happy at first, but then his smile faded. "I thought we could be friends. I thought he would understand, but he pushes me away. He wants nothing to do with me. I hurt him and I don't know how or why. I don't do it intentionally! He hates me for being what I am . . . I suppose he has reason to. After all, if it weren't for me he'd be off somewhere, living his life as he pleased."

The druid stood from the rock and faced Veil. "Thank you for talking with me. Your story is an interesting one, and I shall try to help you as best I can."

"Pardon me, Lady Falavus, but for what reason? We have nothing to give you in return, I'm afraid."

"I do not ask for payment," she answered. "But your story concerns me deeply. If indeed it is true, I must be prepared for what is to come in the days ahead."

"And what might that be?"

Falavus looked away. "The lack of them."

* * *

Veil trudged toward the river, troubled by the druid's words. The lack of days ahead . . . Surely she could not be speaking of the end of the world, could she? How could one insignificant shadow trigger such a calamitous event? It had to be impossible. She was probably just imagining the worst possible scenario, like Sheik always did.

That thought cheered him up slightly, but his mood fell out from under him the moment he saw Link sitting by the river with his clothes off, still curled up tightly with his arms about his legs. Thinking something terrible had befallen him, Veil broke into a run and came crashing down onto his knees at Link's side.

The Hylian jumped and his head snapped up, revealing swollen red eyes from crying.

"Link!" the shadow cried, ignoring his twin's nudity and drawing him into his arms. "Link, are you all right? What happened? Why are you crying?"

"Get off of me!" He wrenched away angrily and stumbled to his feet. Veil gazed up at him with his mouth open slightly as his master stood before him in all his pale, peachy nakedness. A crimson hue stained Link's face and he turned his back to Veil. "Don't look at me. Leave!"

"You have nothing that I don't have myself," came the reply. "We're identical, remember? Besides, it's only flesh."

"Well it's _my_ flesh!" Link's face burned all the hotter, and he mentally kicked himself for acting so insecure about his own body. However, he was aware of how vulnerable he was to have that soul-snatching shadow just ready to reach out and touch him. And Sheik was nowhere in sight. Link doubted he could fend off Veil if he decided to jump up and begin molesting him where he stood.

"Your mood swings are most exhausting to entertain," Veil sighed sadly.

"Well then, perhaps you should go somewhere else and sleep if I exhaust you so."

"You know I don't sleep, Link. Besides, I need to wash my clothes. I smell almost as rancid as you."

"I _beg_ your pardon!" Link turned slightly around in time to see Veil pulling his long tunic over his head, and quickly looked away. "Gods," he muttered under his breath. "Why now?"

"Surely you wouldn't want me walking around smelling terrible, would you?" The rustling of cloth could be heard as Veil stripped down. "After all, it would be all the more unbearable for you to have me near you!"

Link whipped around angrily, glaring at his twin. "How can you joke at a time like this? Have you forgotten everything that has happened?"

Veil looked stunned. "No. I am just happy that you are alive. Forgive me, but am I not allowed that privilege any longer?"

Link frowned and said nothing…and then he realized that both he and Veil were standing nude together. In the forest. Alone. Together. Gazing at each other in silence. But even that was not as alarming as what he noticed at that very moment:

"Impossible," he muttered, glaring at the top of Veil's head. "You're supposed to be just like me, but . . ."

"What? What is it?" the dark haired young man said with concern.

Link stepped closer and placed his hand on the top of his blond head, drawing an invisible line across, where it came to rest in Veil's ebony bangs. "Unbelievable," he said. "You can't be taller than me. We're supposed to be completely identical."

"Oh? Didn't you know?" Veil said with a mischievous grin, causing the scar across his cheek to curve slightly. "Shadows are always taller."

Link's mouth fell open and an indignant expression flew across his face as he took offence to the comment. Just as quickly, his expression melted into a superior smirk and he reached out, placing his hand upon Veil's muscular chest, and nonchalantly pushing him over into the river.

The shadow fell into the water with an almighty splash, and surfaced a few moments later with a sputter, his black hair drenched and covering his eyes. "I let you do that, you know!" he cried, though he was grinning.

Link tried as hard as he could not to be amused, but Veil's comical appearance all but shattered those intentions and the Hylian found himself chuckling helplessly. Of course, once he realized how ridiculous he was behaving, he quickly stifled his joviality. Unfortunately, Veil noticed.

"It's no crime to laugh in times like these," he said, sweeping his wet hair off of his forehead and standing waist-deep in the water. His gray eyes gazed up at Link. "If we couldn't find joy in adversity, then how can we be reminded of what we are fighting for?"

"You're not making any sense," the Hylian said, crouching down to sit at the river's edge.

"Stop trying to understand it with your brain. Use your heart instead."

Something like sorrow found its way into Link's blue eyes. "My heart is too tired to try," he murmured after a while. "So much has been taken from me . . . I have nothing left to give anymore. Nothing except bitterness and seven years of nightmares."

Veil was quiet for a moment before extending his hand out toward Link. "Then share your burden with me," he begged softly. "You cannot bear the weight alone forever. Though I may be soulless, I still have a heart as human as yours. Don't suffer needlessly when you have someone who is willing to help carry your pain right in front of you. Please, Link. You must trust me."

Veil's heartfelt words continued to hover in the warm air long after they had been spoken, and time seemed to stand still for hours as the two young men stared at each other, one hoping and the other fearing. Everything around them faded into obscurity until they were the last two people on the face of the earth.

Link's pale hand reached out to clasp the darker, scarred one, and an eternity of questions were finally laid to rest.

The next thing he knew, Link was shivering in the cold water, clinging desperately onto Veil and crying so hard that his chest ached from the force of his sobbing. Their bare bodies were pressed together tightly, and Veil had his arms wrapped around Link's slender waist, holding him protectively.

Everything that Link had been holding deep inside, his never-ending woe of leaving his best friend Saria, his frustration at having to figure out how to do the impossible a second time, his misplaced anger, his insurmountable fear that he never allowed to show on the outside, his agonizing sorrow of losing his most precious companion; he let it all rush from his body at once in a few brief moments of insufferable pain.

Veil held him securely, trying to ease his twin's shuddering and trembling as hot tears smeared onto his shoulder. He rubbed Link's back soothingly and said nothing, his hand gliding a gentle path down the Hylian's spine to rest upon the small of his back.

Link gasped softly and threw his arms about Veil's shoulders, aware of that now-familiar sensation creeping into his body like a welcomed breeze. "Veil," he said in a choked whisper against the moist skin of his neck.

"You'll be all right," the shadow breathed. "I am here, and I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know," Link sniffed and hid his face in the crook of Veil's neck. "I know."

* * *

After their skins had been washed clean in the river's pure waters, Veil and Link found a shallow spot near a pebbly shore and set to work rinsing and scrubbing the filth and grime from their clothes. No words were spoken between the two as they wrung out the fabrics, and neither did they speak to each other and they sat on the warm grass and waited for their clothes to dry.

It had been rather uncomfortable once Link had managed to stop crying back in the river; Veil had willingly released him from his arms, and the young Hylian had turned away, still wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Feel better?" the shadow had inquired softly.

Link nodded. "But the pain is still there. I don't want to hurt forever."

Veil's gray eyes grew heavy with sadness as he recalled his terrible revelation the night before. "Don't worry," he murmured. "Nothing lasts forever."

Then they had bathed separately and said no more after that. The deed had been done; Link had revealed himself—both in body and soul—to his shadow for a short time, placed himself in the hands of his former enemy, surrendered himself completely. And now it was over. He had cried. Veil had endured. It was over. Time to move on.

And it did, but not in their minds. Still they replayed that one scene over and over again, that brief moment of trust, that baring of hearts, that single instant of unity in which all hatred and inhibition fell away . . . and then passed on, becoming just another part in unwritten history that would be remembered by no one save for them. It was joyous, it was sorrowful, it was passionate, it was glorious, but most of all, it was short.

It was human life summed up in a few minutes.

Life was beautiful while it lasted, but its end was always the same: separation. Sorrow. Regret. Longing. And love undying. And that, Veil realized, was what made life so precious to the mortals who had been cursed with it. They laughed because their time was short, they were kind because kindness mattered in a brief existence, and they loved because it was better than nothing. One could not place a value on a mortal's life.

Perhaps it was the immortals who are cursed.


	16. Shadows of the Soul

Daylight was melting into dusk by the time Veil and Link returned from the river, looking rather sullen and perhaps even guilty; it could have easily been interpreted as a distant shyness, a bashful avoidance brought on from having seen each other's body and heart at its barest and most honest form, to have shared such an intimate moment together that most people can only imagine. It was almost pitiable that the incident would never be spoken of ever again, not to friends, foes, or anyone in between. It was now their little secret, and would go with them both until the end, history unwritten.

Sheik, looking in much better shape after having the many cuts and scratches on his face rinsed off and tended to, was sitting upon a boulder in the clearing where the druid's house stood, sharpening the machetes and feeling rather sore about losing his hand-blades to the tree-monster. For the time being he would have to make due with these crude knives as weapons. He would have gladly taken the fairy bow as a temporary replacement if he knew he could use it (and he couldn't, being that bow-shooting was not his specialty). He preferred close combat anyway. It meant he didn't have to waste time aiming.

He looked up when he saw the twins approaching, and laid the blades aside. "Glad to see both of you still alive," he said. "What took you so long?"

"Heavy cotton takes longer to dry than gauze and silk," Link answered flatly, and Veil even pointed to his own knee-length tunic that was still damp around the edges. "Where's the druid?"

"She hid herself away in her tree about an hour ago," the Sheikah said. "Said she had matters to attend to regarding Veil."

"_Me_?"

"Don't worry. It sounded like she wanted time alone to study books or stand over a bubbling cauldron."

"You shouldn't tease about her," Veil warned.

"I wasn't joking. Smoke has been rising from her tree . . . chimney . . . house ever since. She said she would summon us when she was ready."

"Nervous?" Link asked, taking a seat on the rock next to Sheik.

"Certainly not."

"_I_ am," Veil said softly.

"You have good reason to be," Sheik offered.

"Well," the shadow sighed, "if worse turns to worst, at least I know she can't kill me."

Sheik and Link exchanged worried glances and were quiet for a few moments. Obviously they had not entirely ruled out the possibility that Falavus might very well murder them for whatever reasons eerie druids like she had.

Sheik rose to his feet and said airily, "Well, I would hate to die on an empty stomach. Are you hungry, Link?"

The Hylian looked particularly queasy at the mention of food. "After today, I don't know if I'll ever be hungry again. Being pulled down the slimy throat of a giant monster can be something of an appetite killer."

"You've got to keep your strength up somehow, Junior. I'm going to go see what we've got."

"As long as it's not fish again!" Link called out as Sheik left to peruse the saddlebags in search of dinner.

Alone together once more, Veil crouched down on the ground before Link and idly played with the small flowering weeds growing around the base of the boulder. Fireflies began to appear and the frogs from the river nearby began to croak their evening songs. Link gazed off into the trees and said nothing.

"Why does Sheik call you Junior?" the shadow finally asked in a rush, as if he had been turning it over in his mind ever since he had heard it.

One corner of Link's mouth twisted upward into a small grin of recollection. "Because I am younger than he is."

"And how old are you?"

The same question that had haunted Link his entire life finally resurfaced and sent a cold wind through his body. "I . . . Sheik tells me I'm seventeen. He said he could look at a person and tell how old they were."

"But. Don't _you_ know how old you are?" Veil wished he hadn't said that the moment the words left his mouth, for he could feel his twin's depression weighing him down once more. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I would like to," Link murmured, "if only I knew." He was quiet for a while, and Veil gazed at him expectantly while Link kept his eyes fixed upon the trees. Then the confession came bluntly: "I never knew my parents. I don't know when I was born, and I have no age to go by. I've never belonged to anyone. I've never had a family."

"I . . ." Veil started gently. "You can belong to _me_ if you'd like."

Link shook his head. "No, you don't understand. Belonging is . . . Being a part of a family means that, that you share a physical tie with someone else, like with your parents. People are born through parents, and you share their blood."

"And appearance?"

"Yes. A little, maybe. But family is about love and respect and staying together even though you fight with one another, about supporting one another and . . . and-"

He felt a hand upon his own, and looked down to see Veil staring up at him, his gray eyes tumultuous and filled with longing. Link was not so blind as to understand what he was thinking simply by gazing down into that desperately hopeful expression.

"Veil," he started regretfully, but was interrupted as Sheik reappeared with a few bundles in his hands. Link hastily pulled his hand away and pretended to be occupied with a loose thread on the hem of his sleeve. Sheik, however, didn't seem to notice what had been taking place; he sat down beside the Hylian with a sigh.

"Well, it's no feast fit for royalty, but at least it's not fish." He passed a ration of salted pork and bread to Link.

"This is fine," he said thankfully. "It's certainly better than nothing."

Sheik smiled. "That's looking on the bright side of things."

An apologetic look crossed Link's face and he turned his eyes to the food pouch in his hands. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier back at the river," he murmured. "You were right, I was behaving out of line."

"No need to apologize to me," Sheik said. "But I'm sure Veil wouldn't mind hearing one from you about now."

"Ah—there's no need," Veil insisted. "Really. I don't mind. But thanks for the thought."

"Well, if it doesn't bother you. Still, I think it would be appropriate if he at least thanked you for saving his life today."

A perceptive atmosphere of discomfort settled between the Hylian and his shadow, so intense that it made the ensuing silence almost unbearable.

Sheik rolled his eyes. "For heaven's sake, I didn't ask that you marry him, Link."

"You didn't ask me anything. You _told_ me."

"I _suggested_."

"Ordered."

"Insinuated."

"What?"

"Please," Veil interrupted meekly, "I've already caused enough trouble for the both of you. If I asked anything more of Link it'd be too much."

"Anything less wouldn't suffice," Sheik muttered, glaring at Link. "I don't know why you two have such a difficult time speaking to one another."

"We don't," said Link. "It's the thoughts behind the words that we have difficulty with."

"I give up," the Sheikah sighed, cradling his head in his hands. "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. Honestly, Link. I'm tired of driving splinters under your fingernails just to influence you to act the slightest bit human-"

"What would you have me do?" Link demanded. "Get on my knees and beg for forgiveness?"

Sheik sent a private wink to the shadow, who was watching the argument worriedly. "I'll get his legs if you get his arms."

Link sputtered, "Hey wait, what's this? What did you say—augh!"

The Hylian had never realized how fast Sheik could move until that moment, for no sooner had he seen the blur of blue than he was on the ground with his legs pinned underneath the crimson-eyed blond; he didn't even realize his arms were being held above his head until he craned his neck and saw Veil's upside down face smiling helplessly down at him. "Surprise?" he tittered.

"Now then," Sheik said superiorly, making himself comfortable on Link's thighs. "What does one do with a fallen Hero?"

"Get off of him, that's what," Link snapped.

"Wrong answer." Sheik held up his hands, fingers poised.

Link went absolutely white. "Don't," he uttered, squirming futilely.

The fingers drew closer.

"Don't! I mean it! I'll bring every monster in this forest down on us if you so much as-" His sentence ended in an ear-splitting scream of laughter as Sheik launched his frenzied hands upon Link's vulnerable midsection.

"I never knew you were so ticklish, Junior!" he shouted over the deafening screeches, which were peppered with some rather salty threats and curses.

Veil didn't know what to think. His master was laughing raucously, yet struggling to free himself. What was 'ticklish'? Why did it make him laugh so hard? In any case, it was sending all wildlife within three hundred paces bolting away in fear of their lives. Tears were running down the sides of Link's face as he gasped for air, cheeks flushed red and his eyes sparkling merrily. Gazing down at him, Veil wished he knew how to make Link as joyous as Sheik had made him.

"Oh gods! Stop! Haaaa! I can't—aha HA! Breathe! Ah! It hurts! Stop—haha haaa! Sheik-! Veil, ahaa! Make him stop! I'm beg—haa HAA ha haa HA!"

Sheik paused, lifting his hands from the Hylian's torso. "Now, tell Veil what you need to tell him or else I'll tickle you again."

"You're loving this, aren't you?" Link panted angrily.

"Every second. Now say it."

"Say what? Auughh! Haha! Stop! All right! I'll tell him! Cut it out!"

Sheik grinned smugly as Link heaved a sigh and lay still for a moment, catching his breath. When he turned his blue eyes upward, they met with cool gray ones, and he became aware of the warm hands grasped tightly—but not painfully—around his wrists. He could feel his own pulse throbbing in his hands, and he felt Veil's as well. To his surprise, the shadow's heart was racing as fast as his own. Was he nervous?

_Yes._

Why?

_Something in the way you're looking at me right now . . . makes me long to be close to you again._

I don't understand . . .

Just then, the three young men were startled at the sound of a wooden door bursting open and the fearsome voice of Falavus Talrhos demanding loudly: "What is this insane racket out here?"

They turned to see the druid standing in the doorway of her home, staring sternly out at them all. "I daren't ask what brought on this sudden mutiny, but I hope you'll postpone the slaughter of that young man so that I may at least question him, yes?"

Sheik crawled off of Link and helped him to his feet while Veil hung his head like a child being chastised. "We're sorry, my lady," they said at different times in mumbled voices, feeling quite immature at being caught while acting so silly.

The druid shook her head. "Children," she sighed, then beckoned for them to enter her tree. "You may enter now, and take care to not knock each other over in the mad rush to the door, won't you?"

* * *

The interior of the druid's home looked almost exactly like how they all imagined it to look: a small fire crackled in the hearth beneath several cauldrons of many sizes, and the sanded walls were lined with rows of shelves piled high with thick books, scrolls, jars, vials and strange looking stones. From the high ceiling hung dangling crystals, chimes, bird feathers, dried plants and circular weavings, and upon the walls were maps of constellations, moon phases and sun charts.

A large window was carved into the east side of the tree; on the west was a long table whose surface was covered with flowering plants and several pestles. A curious basket filled with mushrooms sat in the midst of it all. Several beeswax candles of every shape, size and color lit the room, enhancing its mystic atmosphere.

As Falavus closed the door behind them, they saw a strange symbol painted on it in red, a pentagram with strange characters at each point.

"To keep ill spirits away," she said when it became apparent that they were staring. "If any of you were evil it would have singed your flesh."

They looked uneasy.

She smiled. "I know now that I am entertaining fair company. Sit down, won't you?"

The three young men sat down at the round table in the center of the room: Falavus sat across from them and produced an ancient-looking book whose pages seemed ready to crumble into dust at the slightest touch. Carefully she opened it to a place that had been marked by one of the many fraying cords of thread, and then gazed up at her guests.

"You come to me because you seek answers. You come because you believe the Hero, Link, is suffering tremendously at the hands of his Shadow, a being who was born without a soul, and who is now threatening the balance of Time and the future of this earth. In all my centuries of study and knowledge, there is no solution I can offer to this problem that could even be considered, although I believe that I have at least discovered what is happening that is so endangering Link's person."

Falavus drew in a slow breath and began: "It was thought by the ancient druids that every soul has a shadow. From a scientific standpoint, a soul is pure energy, the same energy that comprises the Goddesses themselves, only on a much smaller scale; in each human being there is a small part of divinity, for that is from whence you have come.

"Now, try to imagine that the soul is like a fire, receiving and burning great amounts of divine energy. The fire receives its fuel from piety, love, and the cultivation of virtues such as faith, kindness, courtesy, and compassion. Through this 'fuel' the soul-fire burns strong and bright. In shorter words, the purer your heart, the stronger your soul becomes."

"What happens if a person does not do these things?" Link asked.

"First you must understand, child: no single soul is perfect or capable of achieving its purest form of energy—that is something that happens when the soul returns to the heavens again. But as with every fire, there must be ash. This is where the theory of 'soul shadows' come into place. The shadows of souls are the byproducts of used-up spiritual energy, much like soot and ash from a fire. In order to keep the soul-ash from building up, one must seek spiritual cleansing through prayer, virtue, and good deeds. If one does not do these things, the ash will build up, and slowly begin to contaminate the soul."

"Like poison," Sheik murmured.

Falavus nodded. "Yes. The excess ash continues to accumulate, tainting the clean energy that it is trying to burn. The result is the soul-fire burning poorly. It is a terrible cycle, and if it persists for long enough, the inherent good in a person's soul will slowly start to go bad, replacing virtue with sin. The process may take years, during which the person will become lazy and shiftless, his soul deteriorating into a dim fire dominated by greed, contempt, conceit, lust . . . it goes on. The queue of sins is endless."

"My lady," Sheik spoke up, "Link has already experienced such a poisoning, though the timeframe was in hours, not years."

The druid looked surprised. "Then by all means he should have been dead by now. A buildup of ash that sudden would have directly affected his physical body to the point where it could not hold the soul any longer. What do you believe kept death at bay?"

"Veil," Sheik answered without hesitation. "He came in when Link was in the midst of dying and held him until all traces of his suffering were gone."

"I see."

"Ever since then, I've noticed that when Link is starting to behave particularly foul, it could always be remedied by Veil's touch."

The druid nodded solemnly. "Then it is true. I never could have expected it."

"What is true, my lady?" Link asked.

"Tell me, Link, does Veil have a particular attraction to a certain region of your body? The small of your back, perhaps?"

The Hylian looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Y-yes," he uttered. "How did you . . . ?"

Falavus rose from her seat and went to one of the shelves, haphazardly digging through bundles of scrolls and tossing aside the ones she was not looking for. The three young men watched her in fascination as she finally unearthed the correct one and brought it back to the table. Unrolling the rectangular parchment and pinning the corners down with stones, she swept her white hair behind her shoulders and pointed to the large drawing in the center. It was of a human body, standing with arms and legs extended, and odd symbols drawn on various places of the anatomy.

"There are three points on the body through which spiritual energy can be transmitted directly," she explained rather breathlessly as Sheik, Veil and Link leaned in for a better look. "The first is upon the temple, or the head. The second is the left hand."

"Why the left?" Veil inquired.

"Because it is the hand closest to the heart. The third and most powerful point is here." She tapped her finger to the lower back where a symbol graced the largest part of the spine. "This is where many people believe the soul to dwell, for along the backbone run tiny strings of fibers that are responsible for the transportation of energy to the rest of the body. The spine is the trunk from which all spiritual power branches out."

"So why is Veil drawn to these parts of Link's body?"

"Because Veil is the living personification of Link's soul shadow."

A stunned silence followed her words, and the Hylian said hesitantly, "So Veil is my . . . ash?"

"In a sense," replied Falavus. "When Veil explained his past to me, it didn't make sense at first. However, I was not considering the possibility of this ancient theory being correct. Now I see that it is, and there is much you must do if you plan to live long enough to complete your objectives, Link."

Link leaned his elbows on the table and swept his hair back from his forehead in a gesture of puzzlement. "Forgive me, Lady Falavus. I still don't understand how all this came to be."

The druid leaned forward. "Here is what I believe: when you were on your quest to save Hyrule from the Dark One, the forces of evil were permeating the land from the inside out. Your soul was pure and good, and these negative forces—so unbelievably powerful that they were almost a physical entity—were trying to penetrate your flesh to poison it. However, because the fires of your soul were so strong and bright, the evil that had managed to seep into your body was processed, and the ash began to pile up. Though you were unaware of this spiritual battle, the amount of evil your soul was fighting was massive, and it needed to be purged completely lest you fall victim to Ganondorf's poisons.

"I have never heard of a human soul being able to physically expel used-up energy, but the Goddesses must have been on your side as far as miracles go; your ash was discarded into the form of your shadow, and for a little while it was your own personal storage place for your used spiritual fuel, and your soul could burn the evil trying to infect you much more efficiently. It is really an amazing progression in spiritual evolution.

"And then, for reasons that escape me yet, your soul-shadow became detached from you. Perhaps it had grown too heavy to follow you any longer; perhaps the evil powers haunting your path had managed to steal it from you; perhaps the Goddesses knew you had gotten through the worst of it, and decided to return your soul to its normal processes. In any case, your ash was somehow left behind in the shape of your shadow. Though you still possessed a shadow (like all things of physical existence) it was not the special soul-shadow that you once had kept."

"That's when Ganondorf found me," Veil murmured numbly. "He took me in when I was wandering lost and searching for my master . . . Is it unheard of for soul-ash to develop thoughts of its own?"

"I would have no idea," said the druid. "I have never had the opportunity to observe such a thing before. For whatever reasons, it was obvious that you had some semblance of instinct and perception in those days. Perhaps like an infant child, your mind was beginning to slowly develop . . ."

"But when Ganondorf cast me into flesh, I suddenly had a brain."

"Yet your mind was not developed enough to think on its own," Sheik mused.

"And it took an encounter with your shadow-maker to wake up the mind inside the body," Falavus said, then turned to Link. "Tell me of the weapon you used to 'slay' your shadow."

"Well," Link began, his mouth dry. "Ganondorf copied my exact image—sword, shield, clothes, body, everything. I used Veil's sword. I stabbed him through the heart."

"Hm. I wonder why he did not die. A sword forged from evil should have killed his body, forged also from evil."

"Unless my body was reacting to Link's soul energy," Veil murmured. "Unless I had resumed my place as his soul-shadow."

The druid appeared stunned. "That is a very possible reality. Soul-ash cannot be killed since it is non-living, but the human body is mortal. What could have caused the flesh to live on?"

"Maybe it was instinctively trying to save itself?" Sheik suggested.

Link offered: "Maybe my soul shadow was so powerful its immortality had spread into Veil's body?"

"Maybe I wanted to live more than anything," the shadow said softly.

Falavus shook her head. "I don't have answers to everything . . . at least not yet, anyway."

"So," Sheik tried to digest this mass of information piece by piece, "Veil is Link's soul shadow, in actual human form. Link's soul no longer keeps his used up energy, but instead transfers it to Veil through touch?"

Falavus nodded. "I am quite certain, for Link has no way to discard or process his ash anymore, no matter how many good virtues he possesses. His soul has completely lost the ability to keep the used energy from building up. Link, tell me, when Veil touches you, do you feel any . . . sensations?"

The Hylian fought his hardest to not blush after hearing the question put so ambiguously, but while he was struggling to keep himself restrained, it was Sheik who answered the question for him: "He has told me it feels like his soul is being sucked out of him."

"Well, he wasn't far off—it was the used up energy being drawn from you. It is Veil's means of sustenance. Without his constant presence, your soul would become so infected with its own ash that it would die, and dead souls know no eternal peace."

"I, but I don't need him!" Link cried. "He survived for seven years without me! I lived for seven years without him!"

"But the instant that time caught back up with the moment of his creation, your soul's ash started piling up," Sheik interrupted. "That's why on the whole journey through the Water Temple you were beginning to slowly die; your soul recognized that its 'storage shed' was out there somewhere and instinctively stopped cycling its used energy. Sounds like the one side effect the Powers That Be didn't plan on resurfacing, a divine error that transgresses both time and reality."

"I suppose it's a good thing that I cannot die, yes?" Veil said with a hopeful smile.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Falavus, indicating the scar across his cheek. "Something out there has the power to leave its mark on an immortal being. It could easily be assumed that that same thing could also have the power to kill you. Tell me, who gave you this mark?"

"Why, it was . . . Link."

The druid regarded the Hylian. "And what weapon did the Hero use?"

"The Master Sword," Link answered. "There is great power in its blade, and with it, all the memories of . . . my past."

"Of the shadow," said Sheik.

"Of Veil," finished Falavus.

There was a long pause.

"If," Link faltered uneasily, "if Veil were to die, what would happen to me?"

"I don't know," Falavus confessed with a sigh. "I've only just begun to look into the idea of soul shadows, and there is still much to be learned from them. I need time to gather my thoughts and study it more deeply."

"Unfortunately, time is something we haven't got much of, my lady," Sheik murmured. "Link and I were sent to destroy Veil since he is the last remnant of Ganondorf's legacy, but we didn't count on him being immortal, or something close to it. We also did not count on him being so human. We must take him to the Temple of Time, before the Sages of Hyrule. Now that we know how to keep Link from growing ill, we must leave as soon as we can, for perhaps the Sages know of a way to remedy this problem without resorting to death."

Veil stood to his feet in alarm. "You plan to take me _where_?" he cried, looking hurt and betrayed.

"Sit down, Veil. It's not as terrible as it sounds," Sheik said. "Sage Rauru and Princess Zelda are good people. They will not make any rash decisions, I'm almost sure."

"But you're still not completely sure," the druid said lowly, and they detected a bit of darkness in her tone. "You may call them Sages, but they are neither wise nor just. They are merely keepers of the mystic realms, guardians of the temples that have grown cold from disuse. They justify any action, great or terrible, if they think it benefits their idealistic visions of themselves, as these omniscient lords who believe that they hold absolute power over the realms that they protect."

"But . . . but many of these Sages are my friends," Link said.

"Perhaps so, but I know Rauru personally. He came to me as a young man about your age, seeking knowledge of ancient politics and government. He is powerful, manipulative and intelligent, and he does not like being catechized by anyone. He is more of a political figure than a man of divine grace. If you could but stay longer instead of rushing off to place Veil's life in the hands of a man who could care less, I might be able to find the answers you seek and save you both time and grief."

Link's face was drawn and tired-looking. "How certain are you that you'll find the answers?"

Falavus smiled thinly. "I have yet to be asked a question to which I could not find the answer."

* * *

Late into the night Link and Sheik talked with Falavus, sharing in great detail the adventures of the Hero's first quest and news from the throne of Hyrule. Veil, however, remained very quiet and withdrawn, watching distantly and turning over his thoughts and trying his hardest to understand what the druid had told them earlier. Though it filled him with happiness to know that he was in truth a part of Link, to have heard it all explained so scientifically, so methodically, it made the enigma and power of his existence seem so meaningless. It took only minutes to sum up his entire reason for being.

Though deep down inside he knew he was the bastard child of great evil, Veil continued to grasp onto the small shred of hope that there was more to his life than merely acting as a biological component for processing energy.

Finally the mortals could talk no more for their exhaustion, and they bid Falavus a good night before retiring to the clearing to lay out their beds. The druid apologized for her lack of sleeping quarters, for she, being an immortal like Veil, never felt the instinct to rest. Thus, she vowed to spend the night researching and studying more on the ancient theory of soul shadows. The two young men had accepted her apology lightly—they were so tired that they were not even concerned with the fact that they had completely forgotten about dinner.

The night air was warm and the gentle breeze rustling through the trees was cool and dry; they would have no need for a fire tonight. Even the moon shining above through the large opening in the trees illuminated their surroundings to the point where even the light of the lamps would be unnecessary.

Link watched with mounting anxiety as Sheik nonchalantly tucked a machete under his thin bedroll and lay comfortably down, as if it were a perfectly natural habit to keep a deadly weapon within hand's reach. Link could not help but to ask him in a hushed whisper: "You don't think there are more monsters out there, do you?"

The lid of one crimson eye lifted slightly. "I'm not taking any chances if there are."

"I think I should go get my sword."

"Just go to sleep, Link," the Sheikah sighed. "Veil's keeping watch. He would crawl over broken glass with you on his back to save your feet, so you've nothing to fear. Pleasant dreams."

Link sank down onto his mat with a worried look, drawing his blanket up to his chest and folding his hands behind his head. The sight of the stars above helped to ease his troubled mind, but his view was suddenly obstructed by the appearance of Veil's face.

"What is 'dreams'?" he whispered almost inaudibly.

"A dream is images that come to mind when you sleep," he answered dully. "You wouldn't know."

"Oh," Veil murmured in an injured tone, then paused. He slowly leaned down toward Link's face, so close that their noses were only inches away. _May I touch you?_

Link's cheeks grew flushed, even in the cold, pale light of the moon. _ Touch me where?_

_Your hand. I wish to hold it._

Maybe he was imagining this conversation of minds. Maybe he was reading the many deep emotions roiling within Veil's stormy gray eyes. Whichever it was, Link, as if entranced, slowly and deliberately drew his left hand out from underneath his head, and held it before his shadow; Veil gently reached out with his unscarred hand and wove his fingers within Link's, pressing their palms together tightly.

Link took a sharp intake of breath as he felt the first cool wave seep down into his arm, and then the relaxing feeling like a river's flow follow thereafter. Above him, Veil closed his eyes and sighed as if in relief before pulling back and lying down on his side next to Link, their hands still held tightly together.

"Are you going to hold my hand all night or-" Link whispered, turning his face toward Veil's and losing the end of his sentence. His dark haired twin was gazing at him sadly, lovingly, longingly.

"I would hold your hand forever . . . if I only could," he breathed, blinking slowly. A tear balancing precariously on his lashes lost its purchase and gently rolled down across the bridge of his nose, following the path of his scar until it disappeared into the shadow of his ebony hair.

A lump grew within Link's throat and he looked away, closing his eyes as they started to sting. He said nothing, but gave Veil's hand a gentle squeeze.

A gesture of acceptance? Perhaps.

A gesture of understanding? Undoubtedly.

* * *

Sheik had never slept so well in his life, not even in the most comfortable beds of his village, not even on the grand mattresses of the royal guardians' chambers at Hyrule Castle. Here in the heart of this forest was absolute peace, a small sliver of utopia. Something deep inside of him felt secure and safe, like fear and uncertainty were cast off the moment he stepped foot into this single section of woodland paradise, and nothing could ever go wrong.

And that is why he was so absolutely riddled with blistering shock that early morning when he blinked open his sleepy eyes in time to see a tree-monster walk silently by, mere feet from where he was lying.

Words escaped his mind that could even begin to translate the heart-stopping rush of adrenaline into profanities—there were simply not enough adjectives.

Sheik bolted upright from his bedroll and threw himself backwards into Veil and Link, shaking them awake and pointing to the hideous creature lumbering by. Though it was much smaller by far than the one they had just yesterday gutted, the fear of anything remotely resembling the beast still remained, and it sent all three of them scrambling to their feet and standing together in an agitated, half-asleep cluster.

"Wha-what in the hell!" Link whispered fiercely, literally trembling with horror and unknowingly holding onto Veil as if his very soul depended on it (which wasn't that far off from the truth, actually).

They watched as the monster, its jaws hanging open slightly, ambled its way toward the druid's tree, swishing its long vine-like tail back and forth soundlessly. It was obviously a juvenile, for its side-tentacles were but small nubs running along its length, and the thorns upon its back were nowhere close to the size of its predecessor.

"It's going for Falavus!" Sheik hissed.

"What should we do?" Veil asked desperately.

Link, unable to look at the creature without reliving his experience being sloshed about in hot slimy bowels, clung to his shadow's shoulder and dug his fingers into his back.

"Ah. Ah!" Veil grimaced. "Link, that hurts! Not so hard!"

"Keep it away," the Hylian uttered. "Just keep it away from me."

The tree-monster stopped a few paces before Falavus' home, and with a curious undulation of its upper body, produced a strange sound like that of a heavy stone being rolled about in a cast iron pot.

"What in the name of the gods . . ." Sheik muttered, unable to tear his eyes from the beast.

"It's calling," Veil whispered.

"It's _what_?"

Their questions were answered as they saw the door to the tree open, and Falavus stepped out of her home with a calm and collected grace. The creature ceased its strange call, and a deep rumbling filled the clearing, a guttural growl that came deep from within the its body. The druid smiled and stepped up to the creature, stroking its rough, barky hide and speaking to it softly in a language that none of the three young men recognized.

"I forgot she keeps these things as pets," Sheik said with a sigh, relaxing a little.

"Guardians," Veil corrected.

"Whatever. That's a hell of a monster to tame, I must imagine."

"Do you think it will try to hurt us?"

"After what you did to that other one, it had better not."

Falavus looked up when she noticed her guests standing together in a worried huddle. "It's all right," she said. "You are in no danger. The Siridu will not attack within the sanctity of this region."

"You mean that animal is part of a species?" Sheik asked dubiously.

"Yes. The Siridu are an ancient breed that were hunted almost to the point of extinction. This is their last refuge, and there are very few of them left." She continued to caress the creature's eyeless head, and for all the world it seemed to be purring like a great cat. "Siridu are important to keeping the balance of the environment intact; they use their claws to till the soil and make it rich, and help spread seeds so that plants may grow in new regions. They use their vines to forage for fruits high up in trees, and by knocking food from the branches, they also provide food for smaller woodland creatures such as deer and rabbits. Some of them are quite intelligent, and they were once a peaceful species."

"What happened to the peace?" Sheik asked quietly.

Falavus gently frowned. "Human beings instinctively fear what they do not understand, and they kill whatever they fear. The Siridu could not help being so humble looking, and humans mistook these gentle beasts for monsters, slaying them until only a precious few remained. The land became barren in places, and many plants and animals that depended upon Siridu for survival died out—the delicate balance of nature was forever upset. The Siridu fled to this forest, and their mistrust of Man still lives on." Her voice fell to a sad whisper as she gazed at the young Siridu before her. "Just because something is not beautiful does not mean it is evil."

Veil was visibly guilt-ridden, his whole demeanor darkening into an oppressive feeling of regret. "I am so sorry, Lady Falavus," he begged. "If I had but known . . . If, if only that Siridu had not swallowed Link . . . I would have never-"

"It is all right," the druid said. "I understand that you had no other choice, though it is still a pitiable shame that it happened. I suppose the Siridu did not count upon having to deal with your fierce devotion to your helpless master."

"I wasn't helpless," Link muttered, still clinging onto Veil tightly. "I was temporarily incapacitated."

"My, such large words you know, Junior," Sheik snickered.

"I didn't ask for your comment, Old Man."

At that moment, the Siridu began making urgent noises in its throat, and Falavus kneeled down to see what was the matter. "_Ves diubas? Di beshoedus li ketfla?_" she whispered.

The creature opened its mouth and its several serpentine tongues emerged, curled about as if it were holding something in them. Sheik stepped closer in his curiosity, and Veil tried to follow but Link was acting like a deadweight and holding him back. The druid extended her hands as the tentacles unfurled, and gently gathered up a small something that the Siridu had been holding.

"What is it?" Sheik asked, his sixth sense giving him a sensation of apprehension.

Falavus' features grew soft with sorrow as she gazed into her cupped hands. "The poor creature," she murmured. "I've never seen such injury before." She gazed up at the Siridu. "_Fo vunde zye?_"

The beast gave a rumble in reply, and Falavus nodded slowly, speaking a few more of the strange words. At that, the Siridu turned about and lumbered off into the forest slowly. When they were certain it had departed, Sheik, Veil and Link approached the druid, who was still kneeling in the grass.

In her hands was cradled the limp and bloodied body of a fairy, its delicate and once-beautiful wings torn to shreds.


	17. Departure from Gil Nemith

The moment Link saw the small, motionless fairy cupped within Falavus' hands, he knew it was Navi. It was hard to tell through the blood and dirt, but it was Navi. Her fragile and translucent blue wings were mangled and crumpled, broken beyond all repair. Her tiny head of golden hair was disheveled and dirty, and the bare white flesh of her body looked cold, bruised. But most notable of all, her halo of light was gone.

Link went completely hysterical.

"NAVI!" he screamed in a raw voice, lurching from Veil's arms. Sheik calmly turned around and caught Link about the waist before he could slam himself into the druid. The Hylian wrestled violently, kicking and clawing to free himself and screaming the fairy's name over and over again as tears made his cheeks glisten.

He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. It was as if all the air were being crushed from his lungs by a giant's hand. He gasped and sobbed and struggled to reach her, just to touch her. She was so small, so helpless . . . and he had left her to die out in that terrible forest. Her last moments of life were probably unimaginable, alone in the dark with no one to help her, torn to pieces and her wings smashed, and all those horrible cuts and bruises . . .

Link could hear her crying. He could hear her begging for help, calling out to anyone and receiving no answer. It was all his fault. He shouldn't have let her go that night. He should have made her stay. He knew the forest wasn't safe. He knew they were being watched. He knew. He _knew_! And he let her go regardless!

He had killed Navi. He was responsible for this, for her lifeless little body that had died so cruelly, alone. What were her last thoughts? Were they of Link, the irresponsible child whom she had taught all she knew, whom she had taught to be brave, whom she had taught to be strong and endure, whom she had sacrificed everything for, whom she had raised to be the Hero of Time?

Navi was the closest thing to Link's heart, the one who remained at his side no matter how terrible and frightening the world around them had become, the one in whose tiny hands he had placed his life countless times, and never had she let him down. And now she was gone. She wasted so many years of her life on one who had ended it.

And he never even got to say goodbye.

As these thoughts came and went through his mind, Link ceased to fight against Sheik's hold, unable to muster the strength any longer for the silent sobs that shook his entire body. He hid his face in one hand and choked, and his legs went out from under him. Sheik gently eased him down to his knees and helped to keep him upright, and there he let Link mourn.

Veil remained standing, staring in wordless shock at Navi's body. He was dumbstruck, unable to believe that the little fairy who had showed him such kindness and such joy would do so no longer. Little Navi, with her cheerful voice and bubbly personality, little Navi with her mischief and her knowledge, little Navi who was his master's closest companion . . . Those broken remains in the druid's hands, that was all that was left of little Navi.

"Oh, gods, Sheik," Veil uttered, placing a hand upon the Sheikah's shoulder to catch himself as he tumbled to the ground. "I'm dying." He placed a hand upon his chest, and a great sob escaped him. "It hurts so badly inside of me."

"Falavus," Sheik begged in desperation. "Please. Tell us she's not . . . "

The druid gazed at the young man sadly. "I am not a goddess. I cannot restore life to a being that has passed on." She looked down at the fairy in her hands. "She is still alive, but only barely. There is not much I can do for her at this point. Death will come shortly now and ease her suffering-"

"NO!" Link screamed, lunging forward. "_No_! She never gave up on me! By the gods, I'll not give up on her!" With a passionate rush of new-found strength, he pulled himself from Sheik's arms and stood defiantly to his feet, breathing heavily. "Now, tell me what I must do to save her, Druid, or get out of my way!"

* * *

Link would have given his right arm to save Navi. He would have given anything, really. But Falavus had instructed him that he need only to find the stem of a red orchid that grew on the other side of the river. Though its flowering season had passed and it would be hard to discern from the other orchids, the Hylian was so desperate to save this lost cause that the druid had not the heart to keep him from trying. Perhaps it would help to ease his inevitable pain when the fairy passed away, for at least he would have made an effort to restore her life.

Falavus told Sheik to accompany Link on the frantic search while she and Veil would try to sustain Navi long enough until they returned.

It had seemed like hours they searched, and Link was constantly blinded by tears and falling down, crippled with guilt and plagued by his conscience, but Sheik was there to pull him to his feet again and keep his thoughts focused, and they soon found the stalk of the red orchid they needed, for though the flower had long since withered and died, the tell-tale crimson petals still remained around its base. They quickly cut off the entire stem and returned as quickly as they could.

The druid had taken Navi into her tree-dwelling and laid her out upon some folds of cloth on the table. Veil had been cleaning her gently with a small rag and some warm water, dabbing at her tiny body with care until most of the dirt and grime had been removed. Candles were lit all around the fairy to keep her warm, and as soon as Link and Sheik burst through the door, Falavus confiscated the stalk; quickly she chopped it into pieces and ground it down into a green sludge with her pestle, adding a strange powder to it from a brown leather pouch.

"Rub this on her," she instructed. "It should help to heal her physical injuries. Quickly now!"

Link sat at the table and took Navi's limp body into his hand, and, using his smallest finger, dabbed the slimy poultice on her wings and body. He was shaking badly at first until Veil reached over and placed his hand upon the Hylian's shoulder. This gesture calmed him somewhat and his hands stopped trembling long enough to finish applying the poultice, and he set Navi back down onto the cloth.

"Now what do we do?" Sheik asked, looking up at Falavus.

"We've done all we can," she replied. "She is in the Goddesses' hands now."

* * *

That day was the longest day of Link's life. He refused to leave Navi's side, and Sheik finally had to drag him away to get him to eat something. Even then, Link's appetite was nonexistent. It was as if food had lost all taste to him. He had neither eaten nor slept very well in the past two days and it was beginning to show: his eyelids were dark and his eyes were constantly red and swollen from crying, his cheeks took on a sickly pallor and his movements had become slow and languid. He looked like a wreck of a man.

Veil spent much of his time sitting at the table with Link, holding his hand and helping to relieve his master's soul of its burden, but even that did nothing to improve his lackluster appearance. All the life seemed to have gone out of him, like a delicate flower slowly wilting in the first cold frost of winter.

Veil was already devastated enough by Navi's condition without the weight of Link's sorrow bearing down on him. The shadow felt himself being crushed beneath the heavy foot of tragedy, and he prayed for a miracle to lift it and allow him to breathe again. Though he knew he had no place to ask for mercy from the ones who had not created him, of whose world he had no part, he prayed to the Goddesses nonetheless. He prayed for them to ease the pain in Link's heart, to help Navi survive her injuries, to make it so that they could all smile and laugh and be happy once again. He prayed for them all, yet not for himself.

Veil knew that he had no heavenly guardians looking out for him, no Creator to lay out his path before him, no sweet eternity awaiting him at the end of his life, if it even came. He was alone in this wondrous world, a shadow devoid of Heaven's love and grace. But even though he had no spark of the Goddesses' divinity within him, even though he was not their Child, perhaps they would hear his plea on behalf of their own Children.

* * *

Night was beginning to fall in the forest, the close of their second day in the druid's realm. Falavus told Link that he had to postpone his vigil over Navi for the time being so that she could prepare some more medicine, and told him rather severely that he needed to turn his attention to himself before he ended up in worse condition than the fairy. Nevertheless, Veil had to pry Link from his seat and pull him outside of the tree by the arm, though it didn't take much effort—Link was very weak from exhaustion and constant anxiety.

Sheik was nowhere to be seen, Veil noted. Perhaps he was down by the river. He decided to take Link there, if anything so that he could wash the salty residue of tears from his face.

The horses were grazing leisurely in the clearing, enjoying a bit of freedom in the peace of the forest. They were in no danger of wandering as they were quite content to remain where they were. They looked up as the two young men walked by, and Glynfrid whinnied softly.

"Don't worry about Link," Veil said to them. "Navi's going to be just fine and we'll all be feeling better again, won't we?" He gazed down at Link, walking with his eyes to the ground. "Won't we, Link?"

He didn't reply.

Veil's hopeful smile faded from his face.

They reached the river by the time darkness had settled, and Veil caught his breath when an ancient feeling of magic and the power of all things sacred wrapped around him as he gazed at the scene before him: fireflies glowed golden yellow as they made their way from between the trunks of the trees like children coming out to play. Their reflections sparkled on the surface of the quietly flowing river like small candle-flames dancing on the cool, gentle breeze. The steady babbling of the water and the songs of frogs and crickets provided a symphony of the night while small patches of starlight beamed down through the canopy above, speckling the carpet of soft green grass and moss with radiant blue splotches.

Veil closed his eyes and filled his lungs with the sweet pure air, and felt as if he could happily spend the rest of his life here. He asked of Link, "Is this not the most beautiful place you've ever seen?"

But once more, the Hylian said nothing, not even a bitter retort. He pulled himself away from Veil's touch and walked forward until he reached the river's edge, staring out at some unseen horizon with his arms limp at his sides. The silence disturbed Veil even more than any sarcastic comment.

_Say something. Say anything. Just say that you're all right._

Link stayed as he was, perfectly still, perfectly silent. The only indication of his life was in the barely visible rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed.

"I'm losing, Veil," he finally whispered, voice rough and arid. "I've spent years building these walls, and now I am standing by, helpless, watching them crumble down one by one."

Link turned around just enough so that Veil could see the sepulchral fathoms of desperation in one blue eye and a gaze that was bare of all emotion; no anger, no hate, no love, no fear, no sorrow. A blue ocean of nothingness.

"My life," came the hollow whisper, "is collapsing down onto me, and I'm suffocating in the ruins. So much time has been wasted. So many things that mattered once don't make a difference anymore. I tried to save Hyrule seven years ago, but I was only offering it as a sacrifice to another force of destruction. My quest was utterly pointless. Why did I bother? Why did I care? I . . . I've lost sight of what I fought for. I have forgotten what made this life of mine worth living."

Veil shook his head sternly, though his words were unsteady: "No. Don't say that."

"It needs to be said: I'm tired of fighting to save a doomed country. I'm tired of being royalty's pawn, of having my life jerked about through time as if my happiness didn't matter at all, as if I were the only person capable of saving Hyrule. I'm tired of this fruitless servitude I've been automatically sold into without my knowledge. I'm tired of being the chosen one, of being the Hero, of being who I am."

Link took a swift breath and choked out, "I'm tired of it all. I . . . I want to die! I don't want to live this life anymore! I was never asked if I wanted to be born this way. I never would have chosen to be the Hero, not if I knew this was how it was going to be! All I've ever wanted was to belong somewhere, to find my kin and my roots, to be a part of a family, to live a normal life and to be loved and cared about for being j-just a simple, ordinary man. But even that was denied to me. I had to be born this way, as the legendary hero I never wanted to be."

"Link," Veil breathed, striding over slowly until he stood before the dejected young man, and reached out to cup one smooth, alabaster cheek in his swarthy, scarred hand. "Now you know how it feels to be born a shadow," he murmured as he stroked the soft flesh with his thumb. "To be given what you have never asked for . . . but understand this."

He tilted Link's face up toward his own, and azure eyes met with stony gray. His words came as scarcely a whisper: "I know the pain you feel, for it is also my own. And as long as I remain here in this world, you shall never."

His face drew nearer.

"Be."

Warm breath fell upon the trembling, parted lips.

"Alone."

Blue eyes closed and there came a sigh that passed onto Veil's tongue, hot and moist and sweeter than anything he would ever know. It was a surrender in all its totality, and the shadow closed his eyes, leaning in slowly to claim both his victory and his utter defeat-

"Link!" a distant voice shouted.

Eyes snapped open and the moment shattered as easily as glass. Link pulled away and turned his eyes in the direction of the call. "It's Sheik," he uttered.

Veil swallowed his heart back down into its place and tried to stifle his throe of anguish by running a hand through his black hair and taking several deep breaths. He lingeringly allowed Link's hand to slip from his own, having not even been aware that he had been holding it in the first place. The warm fingers dropped away as Link cupped his hands around his mouth and called back: "Sheik? Sheeeeik!"

A few moments later the Sheikah appeared from the trees, looking slightly winded. "It's Navi," he gasped, striking instant panic into the hearts of the twins; he shook his head vigorously when he saw their distressed expressions. "No! It's not what you think—she has awoken!"

* * *

It was a most joyous occasion at Falavus' dwelling that evening.

"Through only a miracle has she managed to live this long," said the white haired druid after the matter. "For no medicine on this earth is capable of repairing the extent of injury I have seen. You must be revered by the Goddesses, Child Feyn1."

Though Navi was still too wounded and feeble to reconcile Falavus' comment, she was looking much fairer than before, her glow slowly returning and the brittle fiber of her iridescent wings beginning to mend like new skin growing over a cut, though much faster than any human's. Already many of the bruises and scratches that had marred her pale flesh were repaired, and no one could have been happier at that moment than Link, who had been reduced to tears the instant he had burst through the door and rested his eyes upon a groggy but most definitely living Navi.

It goes without mentioning that Veil was just as jubilant as his master, if not more so. Even Sheik, despite his perpetually cool and collected manner, could not conceal his trembling hands nor his brimming, elated crimson eyes.

"It shall be yet a while before she flies again," Falavus told them as all three young men huddled about the table, "and she can't properly rest with all of you crowding around her and gawking—it's best to let her alone for now and allow the medicine to do its work."

As the druid led them outside, Sheik turned to face her and asked, "The mons—that Siridu. It found Navi and brought her to you, didn't it?"

"Yes," she answered. "Apparently he had discovered her caught in a tangle of briars not far from where I found the three of you. She must have been so desperate to free herself that she tore herself almost to pieces trying to get out. She was fortunate to have been brought to us."

Veil ventured timidly, "Are all Siridu so compassionate?"

"They are deeply aware of all living creatures, and have been known to look after orphaned or injured animals for several years at a time. On many occasions they have brought to me animals that were dying or injured, and though I feel it is not my part to interfere with the course of nature, I cannot help but think that perhaps the Siridu are angels sent to look after those who cannot look after themselves."

"Angels?" Veil echoed.

Sheik smiled lopsidedly. "Pardon my saying so, but that sounds a bit far-fetched, my lady."

Falavus replied primly, "I never expected anyone to agree with me. After all, I've only been on this earth for nine hundred years. What do I know of anything?"

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

"I wasn't patronizing you, Sheik. I was being quite serious. What is nine hundred years in the eyes of eternity? A blink. A flash. A drop of water in the sea of a world in a universe of millions of worlds, if even that. I may seem wise to you, but this I am not; only a fool would believe that wisdom comes with age. Age is but a number, and it counts nothing but a person's time upon this earth."

Link sighed softly and massaged his brow. "Time," he murmured, and raised his eyes to behold the woman of white hair. "You are so fortunate to be freed from its chains, my lady. As for the rest of us, we are still slaves to it."

"Fortunate?" Falavus scoffed. "Do not mock me, Link. I was not born immortal. No, I was as human as you are, once upon a time. I sought for wisdom, but I was too foolish to find it before I made a grave mistake that rendered me as you see me now: the fair immortal, doomed to walk the earth for as long as it is here, knowing no eternal rest. Do not be so quick to think you are enslaved by time, child. Nay, you are blessed with it."

* * *

It was not their intention to stay so long in Gil-Nemith2—which was the proper name of the southern forest, as Falavus pointed out to them eventually—but they had not counted upon being delayed while waiting for Navi to recover from her injuries. Fortunately fairies healed much faster than humans, and in three days' time she was up and about, though still unable to fly. Link took to carrying her around on his shoulder when she grew tired of being cooped up in the druid's tree. She complained good-naturedly of how she wished Link had could have gotten his ears pierced like he had during his first quest, for then at least she could use his earrings as a handle to hold onto.

"Perhaps in another life I will," he had jested with a grin.

Veil was happy to see his master in fine spirits again, and though the heavy burden of time bore down upon them all the longer they lingered, it was scarcely enough to deter the shadow, who could not remember having ever felt so happy and at peace as when he lay down beside Link each night and held his hand securely.

In fact, everyone seemed to be improving in mood save for Sheik, who could not help but to fret about what Zelda and the Sages must be thinking with them being gone for so long and the clock steadily counting down the hours. Already it had been ten days since he and Link had departed from Kakariko Village, and Sheik was beginning to grow impatient to continue with the journey lest he receive a thorough scolding upon returning to Hyrule.

Finally, on the dawn of the eleventh day of their journey and their seventh in Gil-Nemith, they begged their leave of Falavus. Navi had not yet regained her ability to fly but she told her three companions that she would be holding them back for no reason if they waited for her wings to grow strong again, and the druid gave them a pouch containing the rest of the red orchid poultice in case the fairy should need it en route.

Falavus apologized for not having found the missing pieces to the mystery of the soul shadows, but said that she would continue to study and search for the answers while her guests did what was necessary to their quest. Until then, she advised Link to stay always close to Veil and not to attempt anything foolish or risky—such as experimental magic or death-defying stunts—until she had determined if any collateral damage had to be accounted for.

Though she was loathe to pass Veil into the Sages' judgment, when asked if she would like to come along with them, she refused adamantly: "Nay, a being such as I does not belong walking amongst the mortal. There is a reason I have hidden away in this forest for centuries; I must remain invisible to the world, for there are so few who would understand . . . "

They detected a hint of sadness in the druid's tone, but pressed her no further to join them.

* * *

The trio of travelers loaded up the horses and were prepared to leave. Falavus gave them directions for an easier path that ran parallel to the false one they had arrived by. After mounting Glynfrid and helping Link into the saddle in front of him, Veil felt a tap on his leg and turned to see the lady druid gazing up at him with a worried face.

"Take this," she bade, extending her hand. From it hung a sturdy silver pentacle upon a thin leather cord. She placed it into Veil's hand and closed his fingers over it. "May the Goddesses bless you, child of the shadows, and continue to watch over all of you on your quest."

"Thank you, my lady," Veil said softly, slipping the necklace over his head and tucking it safely underneath his tunic. "I'll never take it off."

"We shall return again," Sheik said definitely. "As soon as the Sages have had a chance to see Veil for themselves, we'll be back."

"And we'll take the correct path this time," Navi added from her position on Link's shoulder.

"Very well," said Falavus. "But do not allow the Sages to manipulate you into doing anything rash. Things are extremely delicate right now, and we wouldn't want a catastrophe taking place due to unwarranted, foolish actions."

"We won't," Link assured, and took up the reins. "Farewell, Lady of Gil-Nemith. Until we meet again."

And with that, Sheik and Link led their horses down a green and flowering path through the trees, and Falavus stood in the sunny clearing of her home until she could see them no more.

* * *

1 feyn; Celtic cross-deviation of the word "etain" meaning "fairy" and Middle English "fay" or "faie".

2 gil-nemith; from the Celtic "nemith" meaning "sacred", and from a deviation of the Welsh "geli", meaning "grove".


	18. Broken Trust

The way was much easier on the way out rather than in. They had passed through the edge of the forest and were staring out across the broad, windswept plains of Hyrule Field by late afternoon, though the sunny noontime had faded away due to gathering clouds, and it looked as if rain could be expected that night.

"Splendid," Link muttered. "Of all the times when it could have rained when we had shelter to take—now it decides to storm when there isn't so much as a tree in sight."

"Bloody miserable rain," Navi agreed grouchily, still harboring bad memories of being nearly drowned to death in a gutter and having to endure the explorations of the Water Temple last week.

"Well," Sheik sighed, "the best we can do is to cut across the field instead of taking the roads around. Perhaps we might reach Lon Lon Ranch if we hurry about it and waste no time in taking rests." He turned to Link. "Do you think you could manage, Junior?"

The Hylian smiled cockily. "Just try to keep up, Old Man. Hyaa!"

Glynfrid galloped ahead merrily, leaving Sheik grinning, shaking his head helplessly and urging his horse to follow.

* * *

Veil was unusually quiet during the journey, his mind fixed upon what lay ahead in his future: Hyrule, the Temple of Time, the Sages, the Princess herself. It all sounded very frightening and exciting. He was so busy pondering and fretting that Link, out of concern for his twin's prolonged silence, finally had to ask if he was all right.

"Oh, y-yes. I'm fine, quite. I was just thinking," he replied.

Navi giggled and turned around to face Veil. "Don't worry," she said. "Link won't let anything happen to you."

They rode briskly for several hours, and then night began to fall. Still there was no sign of shelter, and they were forced to make camp out in the open. Sheik suggested that they refrain from building a fire in case, though uncommon, there were any wandering bandits or thieves scouring the plains in search of an easy target. And also, he pointed out, because there wasn't exactly anything with which they could build a fire, anyway. They had to make due with the lanterns for now.

They set up for the night on the lee of a small hill with one steep side, and Sheik called Veil over to help hitch the horses to a rock cluster several paces away, and to assist in unloading the supplies while Link stayed at the site and looked after Navi, who needed another poultice treatment applied to her wings.

Alone together, the young Hylian sat on a small boulder, held his fairy companion in his hands and carefully rubbed the pasty mixture onto her wings. "You really frightened me, you know," he told her gently. "I was sick with worry. I thought I would never see you again."

"Bah!" laughed Navi. "Did you think you could be rid of me that easily? Really, Link. You ought to know by now that I'll still be alive and flying when you're long dead and put down in history as the Greatest Hero of All Time. Ha ha!"

Link didn't reply immediately, his thoughts traveling backwards to the night when the fairy had vanished, their first night in the southern wood. Unbeknown to him, Veil was returning from around the hill with the bedrolls and blankets tucked underneath his arms, but he stopped when he overheard his master's next words:

"Navi, there's . . . " Link's voice fell to a hushed and urgent whisper, and he placed her back upon his shoulder. "I have to tell you something, but you must promise you'll not say a word to another soul. I just can't bear to keep it to myself any longer."

"Of course, of course," the fairy agreed wholeheartedly. "You know you can tell me anything that's on your mind."

Veil, though he knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, couldn't help but to feel as if something very personal and powerful was going to be spoken in the next few moments, and did not wish to interrupt this baring of truth by barging into view when it undoubtedly needed to be said. He set down the supplies and remained just out of sight, though he could just barely see Link sitting on the rock from around the rise of the hill.

The Hylian clasped his hands together and gazed pensively at the ground between his knees. When he spoke, his voice was soft and unusually timid: "The night you disappeared, I had a dream. I dreamt of death and graveyards, and even in my sleep my heart ached in its loneliness, as if I'd just lost everyone I'd ever cared about."

"How dreadful!" said Navi.

"That's not all. I-" Link raised his head to gaze up into the dark night. "Then I was suddenly cloaked in white, lying upon my back and gazing up at a cloudless blue sky, and I felt rain falling upon my cheeks. Rain from a cloudless sky. And then . . . "

Even in the dark, Veil could see the rosy blush creep across Link's face.

"Then Sheik's face was above my own. He leaned down and he . . . he kissed me, Navi. And it . . ." Link shook his head numbly, trying to find words. "It was the most wonderful feeling I had ever experienced in my life."

A sword of both fire and ice was driven into Veil's chest and through his heart when he heard the words; fire, for Link had been aware of the kiss that Veil had given him that night in the forest. Ice, for it had been Sheik, not Veil, that Link had dreamt of. The shadow's joy and agony was so great that he felt as if his entire body would be torn in half for the opposing forces. He wrapped his arms around his own body—to keep himself from splitting down the middle—and slid to the ground, senseless and silent and shocked.

But unfortunately, it did not end there.

Link continued with mounting animation: "It was so real, as if he had actually been there with me. I _wanted_ him to keep kissing me, Navi. It felt so right, so real, so _good_. I didn't want him to stop. I felt all of his love and passion as clearly as if he had told me himself how he felt. I, I've never experienced an . . . _attraction_ like this before, not to anyone, man or woman. Navi-" He closed his eyes and smiled gently. "-I think I am in love with Sheik."

If woe were a poison, Veil would have surely died of it after hearing his master's words. The sword in his heart twisted, bleeding his bare emotions out like a broken levee. _This isn't happening. No. No, it was not Sheik! It was _me_! It is your shadow who so loves you! It is _Veil_ whom you feel that love for!_

It was not so much the idea of Link being in love with Sheik that so filled Veil with despair, but the thought that his efforts to show Link that he loved him so purely and so honestly were for naught. Now there would be no hope of ever seeing his affections returned, not ever.

How could Veil come forth and confront his twin of light with such a confession? _It was _I_ who kissed you in your sleep. Your dream was supposed to be of _me. Foolishness! He could never tell him the truth, not without the total loss of Link's trust, the trust he had worked so hard to attain! . . . But if he did not make a clean breast of it, Link would lead himself to believe in a love that was not real. A case of mistaken identity. It would be the end of it all, of _them_, and Veil would have that single regret festering in his mind for eternity thereafter.

But at least one of them might still find happiness. Link would smile again, but not for Veil. Link would laugh again, but not for Veil. Link would love someone with all his heart, but it would not be Veil. And that is all Veil wanted. It was all he needed. He _needed_ him. Link was everything to Veil, but Veil meant nothing at all to Link . . . But as long as he was happy, what did it matter?

It was painful. It was powerful. It was a killer in the night. It was cruel. It was merciless. It was a tyrant upon his throne. It was bitter. It was ironic.

It was love, in its ugliest, truest form.

"You should tell him how you feel," came Navi's gentle voice. "If there is no doubt in your heart, then go to him."

"How could I possibly tell him that I'm in love with him?" Link asked with desperation in his voice. "What would he think? How will he react? What if it jeopardizes our friendship?"

"Does Sheik mean more to you as a friend, or as a lover?"

The silence that followed the fairy's inquiry fell heavily upon the ears, and Veil wanted to bury his face in his hands and scream until blood spurted from his throat. The emptiness . . . It felt as if some terrible creature had crawled into his body and eaten him from the inside out, leaving nothing but a hollow shell.

_But that's all I am to him, anyway,_ Veil thought drearily. _A shell. A soulless shadow that feels nothing and gives nothing. Why? Why do I suffer so? What did I do to deserve such misery? Is there some greater power out there determined to see me all but die of grief? _

"Veil? What are you doing down there? Are you all right?"

The shadow's head snapped up and he beheld Sheik, standing before him and gazing down at him worriedly. Pain twofold ripped through Veil's heart, and he wanted nothing more than to curl into a tight little ball and be left alone. But reality endured, and Veil pulled himself to his feet, brushing it off with: "Yes, of course. I was just . . . admiring the scenery."

Sheik smiled humorously. "What's there to admire besides the great expanse of grass? Come on—let me help you with some of those."

As the blond haired Sheikah knelt down and picked up some of the dropped supplies, Veil gazed at him remorsefully and thought: why shouldn't Link be in love with him? Sheik was everything: smart, skilled, handsome, strong, compassionate, witty, charming . . . No wonder his master loved him so; he was worth much more to him than some useless shadow who was ignorant about everything in the world.

When they appeared from around the hill, Link started slightly but remained composed, though Veil saw the way he gazed longingly at Sheik, and the way his cheeks colored to a deeper shade of rose.

Pain tenfold.

The shadow spoke sparingly the rest of the evening, and even when he lay down at his master's side that night and took up his hand, watching him sleep peacefully, it did nothing to quell the aching in his heart.

Now Veil understood how Death could seem so merciful.

* * *

Dawn came darkly to Hyrule Field, and though it did not rain the night before, it remained cloudy, and a heavy dew shrouded the grass and cloaked the plains in a thick blanket of fog. They rose early with the intentions of making it to Hyrule Castle by midday, and while this normally would have been a cause to celebrate to most of the party, all of them were very quiet and reclusive as they packed the supplies and made the horses ready for travel.

An unsettling tension was growing between the three young men, whether any of them were aware of it or not. Navi noticed it immediately: Veil's lifeless expression and dull eyes, Link's mounting apprehension and nervousness as he rode alongside Sheik, who himself seemed nothing out of the ordinary, being that he wasn't inclined to talk very much. Nonetheless, he noticed Link's sideways glances toward him and inquired if the Hylian were feeling all right, what with looking as if he had a slight fever from the redness of his cheeks.

Link said he was fine, and a little part of Veil died with his words.

The shadow was in the midst of a full-blown depression by the time they stopped for a mid-morning stretch. Navi, meaning to get to the bottom of Veil's gloomy mood, climbed from Link's shoulder onto the shadow's so that she could ask him what was bothering him. It was she who suggested that Veil go to refill the water skins from a stream just beyond the rise of a nearby hill, that way they could talk alone. He listlessly agreed, leaving behind Link, and Sheik who was preoccupied with readjusting the saddlebags on his horse.

The black-haired young man knelt down at the stream's edge and placed the leather pouch against the flow, waiting for it to fill. Navi slid herself close to his ear and asked softly, "Veil. What's wrong? Something is troubling you, I can see it. You can tell me-"

"_Anything that is on my mind_?" he interrupted, pulling the skin from the river and corking it firmly.

The fairy held her breath for a few moments, slowly realizing the meaning behind his words. "Veil," she whispered delicately, sorrowfully. "Oh, Veil . . ."

"I didn't mean to overhear it," the shadow murmured. "But now I wish I hadn't . . . I heard everything, Navi. Everything." He buried his face in his hands.

"Veil, dear Veil," the fairy said soothingly, climbing to her feet and hugging the side of his neck. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you adore Link. I understand it must be horrible for you to go through something like this-"

"How?" he snapped, his voice cracking hoarsely as tears built up behind his closed eyes. "How could you _possibly_ know how it feels to be me right now?"

Navi was riddled with pity. "I'm so very sorry, Veil. What . . . what do you plan to do now?"

"Nothing," he uttered, looking away across the other side of the stream where a canyon wall stood tall and dark in the slowly vanishing mist. A tear ran down his cheek and across his scar, but other than that, his face was empty of emotion. "Nothing at all."

* * *

_You should tell him how you feel._

Link stared as Sheik finished adjusting the saddle and gave his horse a pat on the neck.

_If there is no doubt in your heart, then go to him._

_How could I possibly tell him that I'm in love with him?_

The crimson-eyed young man tucked a few strands of pale yellow hair behind his pointed ear and stretched casually, taking no notice of his friend's gaze. Link swallowed down the butterflies in his stomach, bolstered his confidence, and took a deep breath.

"Sheik, I . . ." Link began as he stepped forward, and the Sheikah turned to look at him with full attention.

The Hylian felt his mouth go dry. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

After a long pause, Sheik stuck his neck out expectantly. "Yes?"

"Th-that is," Link swallowed and tried to remain composed. After having faced countless enemies without so much as a tremor, here he was now, sweating, heart pounding, shaking and more nervous than he could ever remember being. "I . . . I think I . . . uh, you . . . I . . ."

"Link, for goodness' sakes, just tell me wha-"

Words were being of no aid to Link, so in that instant he decided that his thoughts were best spoken with actions—in a single swift movement, he stepped forward and pressed his mouth to Sheik's, ending the other lad's sentence prematurely and causing his ruby eyes to widen in sheer, absolute shock.

A moment later, Link opened his eyes and slowly drew away, his expression worried and quizzical. No words were spoken, and they gazed at each other for several long seconds, slightly breathless, mostly astounded, their faces flushed red with heat.

The gravity presented itself in full when Sheik placed his hands upon Link's arms and pulled him close, leaning forward to return the kiss that the Hylian had just given him. But instead of soft lips, he met with fingertips and an apologetic face staring back at him with remorseful sapphire eyes.

"I'm sorry," Link breathed. "I can't. This . . . it was a mistake."

Sheik righted himself and nodded slightly, taking his hands from his friend and looking dismayed and perturbed. "I understand. I overstepped my boundary. Forgive me."

"Don't apologize. I'm the one who . . . I thought that it would be different." _ Like what I felt in my dream. _ "I don't know what came over me."

"It's all right. No harm done."

"Right. No harm."

But they both knew otherwise.

They parted when their words had run out, and a wall of stone slowly built itself up between them as they waited for Veil to return. At last they saw him appear over the rise and attempted to pretend that nothing had happened by being abnormally chipper and bright, but an invisible black cloud of woe hung over the shadow's head, making him appear even more shadowy and inhuman.

Replacing the replenished water skins to the saddlebags, Veil turned and stood facing Link, who was waiting for his twin to mount the horse so that he could follow. But Veil became frozen when he saw the broken hearted, disappointed expression on Link's face, an expression that should never grace such a picture of beauty, and his thoughts were wrenched back to that night in the forest when he realized that the day would come when Link would walk the earth no more. For one day he would be cold and dead, lying in a box beneath the earth in an eternal sleep, never to wake again, all traces of his existence washed away like soot in rain. And he would never be coming back. Never ever. There was no such thing as forever, not for Link.

Life, Veil realized, was too short to keep secrets hidden from each other. And it was too precious to waste on dreams that could never come true.

Panic seized a hold of his heart, a blind, frantic fear that already it was too late to do anything to bring his master's heart back to him, that he would never again feel the soft skin of Link's lips so long as they were warm and alive; it sliced through his being like a cold blade, and he knew then that he could not bear this burden any longer, for it would surely kill him if he kept it inside.

"Oh Link! Master-!" Veil cried in anguish and fell upon his knees before the Hylian, wrapping his arms about his legs and pressing his cheek to his thighs. "Forgive me! Oh gods, forgive me, Link! I did a terrible thing!"

Navi held on for dear life as sobs wracked Veil's body, and Link gazed down at him, stunned. "Wh-what? What are you talking about?"

The shadow turned his tear-streaked face up toward his master, and stammered in a throaty voice, "Th-that night in the forest. The first night. I-! It was me! I'm so sorry, Master! I became f-filled with the fear of your death, and I placed my brow to yours, bestowing you th-those horrible dreams! I did not mean to! I d-didn't know!"

Sheik stared, open-mouthed. Link looked likewise. But his face began to change with Veil's next words:

"And I-! I had no right to do what came next, but . . . but it's because I love you. I love you so much, Master! I love you because I was _made_ to love you, because I am _part_ of you. And I . . . it was _I_ who kissed you in your sleep that night. I've been too cowardly to come forth and tell you, because I fear . . . I fear that you shall leave me again, and I can't survive without you any more than you can survive without me! We _belong_ together, Master! Forgive me for my vulgarities I committed to you while you slept, but . . . I simply love you too much to keep it stowed away inside of me."

He closed his eyes and pressed his face against Link's legs. "I love you. I love you. And I shall never cease to love you."

"You . . . " the Hylian whispered dryly. "No. No, _no_!" He wrenched himself away from Veil and held his hands to the sides of his head as if he were about to swoon, breathing heavily. Calm insanity flashed within his blue eyes. "No, I can't take this," he said in a frightened voice. "Not now. You don't. None of this is supposed to happen. This . . . this isn't right. You're not even supposed to exist and now you tell me that you-"

He turned his back on Veil and began pacing erratically, frantically, as hysteria slowly wound its way into him. He began talking to himself wildly in a hushed voice: "-not happening. Where was I? The inn. I don't faint. I've never fainted. I'm sixteen, not seventeen. Red potion won't help. _Gods_!" He clapped his hands over his ears as if trying to keep a torrent of voices from rushing in, and whipped around to face Veil with tears flowing from his wide, frightened blue eyes. "What the hell _are_ you! What are you trying to _ do_ to me?"

"Master," Veil begged weakly, reaching out to the distraught young man.

"Don't! _Don't_!" Link shouted angrily, backing away. "Don't _ever_ touch me again! I'll let my soul die a thousand times before I . . . before you . . . I _ trusted_ you." He took a breath and screamed: "_I _trusted_ you_!"

The echo seemed to reverberate off of the canyon walls and carry away across Hyrule Field for hours, but its ringing went on forever within the hollow chasm where Veil's heart once beat. His hands, once reaching for his master, now fell to his sides, and the light of life seemed to go out of his gray, colorless eyes.

Link slumped to the ground on his knees and held his head in his hands silently, rocking back and forth with gentle movements while no one dared to move. The whole world seemed silent. Not a bird, not a breeze, not a sound of trees or grass, not even the stream below the hill. Nothing. A bare and empty void, a shell. Nothing beneath the ground, nothing above in the sky.

Nothing.

Just nothing.

* * *

Sheik had found himself faced with a delicate and difficult situation to obtain a grasp on, but somehow he managed to break the tension with hurried talk of the little further they had to travel, and pull Link together long enough to get him into Glynfrid's saddle. Sheik offered his own saddle to Veil, but the shadow replied in a hollow voice that he would rather walk from now on.

And so he did, and so they continued onward slowly. Soon they began to see other horses and riders, carts, peddlers, merchants, all coming to or going from the Hyrule Castle marketplace. As they neared the crossroads before the great city wall, Veil hung back a few paces, staring at all the people. Though their numbers were by no means an army's, it was the most he had ever seen in once place.

Different people of all types and races, young and old, man and woman, some indiscernible, all mixed in together. Foreign languages and accents fell upon his ears, and everywhere he turned there seemed to be animals he had never seen before: dogs, chickens, geese, goats, and one fearsome man with tattoos on his arms had a small monkey sitting on his shoulder.

Veil was made very nervous and jumpy by these alien surroundings, and the only thing keeping him anywhere close to calm was Navi's gentle reassurance as she remained firmly seated upon his shoulder.

People stared as they made their way across the drawbridge and into the city, mainly at Link and himself. No doubt they were marveling at their likenesses and their differences, wondering perhaps if they were brothers, twins, cousins? Who knows? They stared at Sheik as well, for his people had become so few that it was rare to see them out in public, if at all, for the Sheikah were revered for their mysterious abilities to slip past peoples' notice.

They made quite the attraction at the marketplace. Veil heard music for the first time and wanted to smile with joy, but the agony bearing down upon his heart would not allow him to do so. He walked with his eyes upon the ground and ignored the whispers and glances as he passed by.

The cobblestone ended as they walked across the entire square, and a wide path flanked on each side by the high faces of a grassy ravine slowly wound its way from the marketplace. When Veil next looked up, they were standing before a ponderous iron gate, and beyond it glimmered the white stone walls of Hyrule Castle. Two sentries in full armor approached and greeted Sheik, who nodded to them curtly.

"Tell Her Highness that we are returned," he bade. "And we bring with us a matter requiring her—and the Sages'—immediate attention."

Veil looked askance when the sentries lay their eyes upon him and remarked with awe and alarm at his identical appearance to Link. The Hylian himself said nothing, and they passed through the heavy gates without another word. A horn sounded, a signal that the travelers had returned. Sheik, glancing behind to make certain that Veil was following, couldn't help but to feel as if they were returning with a prisoner of war who was going to face brutal interrogation and cruel torture. He had been in service of the royal family long enough to know that not all of Princess Zelda's subordinates were cheerful and easygoing, and had seen for himself the chambers where enemies of the throne were debriefed. Sheik hoped with all the mercy in his heart that that was not to be the shadow's fate.

Veil's heart was in his throat when he heard the gate close behind him, and fought the instinct to flee in panic, feeling like a trapped animal that was about to be inspected and examined by these mysterious "Sages" that Falavus had warned him not to trust. Navi kept herself firmly planted on his shoulder, and whispered words of reassurance to him.

When at last they came before the broad staircase leading up to the ornate doors of the castle, Sheik and Link dismounted and allowed the grooms to lead the horses to the stables. The Hylian attempted to make himself look at least presentable by dusting off his tunic and trying to comb his hair into place. Veil watched in fascination and did the same, though he did not know why; he supposed it was because they were about to be mingling with some very important people, and perhaps appearances mattered on occasions like this. Sheik didn't seem to care what he looked like, with his hair disheveled and messy, his uniform ripped and carrying old bloodstains in some places, and he still bore faint scratches on his face from the battle with the giant Siridu.

Just then the doors opened with a heavy creak and a tall, middle-aged man with graying hair and sharp emerald eyes stepped crisply down the stairs. He was the royal chamberlain, the officer of the court responsible for granting audiences the permission to speak with Her Highness, and was something of an ardent and hawkish personality in himself.

He smiled however as he recognized Sheik and Link, and said as he reached the bottom of the stairs: "Well, by the looks of it, you lads certainly seemed to have gotten yourself into plenty of danger and adventure, haven't you? It is a relief to have the both of you back. Her Highness was beginning to grow concerned with your prolonged absence."

"We do apologize for the delay, Leith," Sheik replied informally, for the chamberlain had been an officer of the court years before the young man had been inducted as the guardian of the royal family. "It couldn't be helped."

He took a step to the side, revealing Veil who had been hiding himself behind the Sheikah. Leith took a slow breath inward as he stared at the frightened-looking lad with a fairy sitting upon his shoulder. "Is this . . . the remnant?" he inquired, turning to Sheik.

"Yes," Link answered coldly.

"We hadn't prepared ourselves for anything such as this," Sheik explained. "Veil here is-"

"_Veil_?" the chamberlain interrupted. "You mean you've named it?"

Sheik tensed indignantly in the shadow's defense. "Only after _he_ begged us. He is the shadow of Link's soul, cast into a human form. He is an immortal, but as mild as lamb and the kindest, gentlest person you could possibly hope to meet."

"Unbelievable," Leith murmured, thoughtfully rubbing his beard and gazing at Veil thoughtfully.

"We didn't know what to do, so we decided to bring him before the Sages and ask for their assistance in determining what must be done to save Hyrule . . . and Veil as well."

Link started with burning ire: "Sheik-!"

The crimson-eyed young man cast a frigid glance at the Hylian and uttered, "Don't." He turned to face Leith again and said in a low voice, "Time is short. Link's life and soul are in dire straits, and a decision must be made immediately if we plan on keeping him in this world."

"Understood," the man nodded solemnly. "I'll send for the Princess to meet you at the Temple. I'm afraid not all of the Sages are available on such short notice, but it must suffice if matters are as grave as you've described."

"They are," Sheik assured.

"Duly noted," said Leith. "The sentries shall escort you to the Temple. Princess Zelda will be with you soon."

* * *

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Navi whispered to Veil as they were guided by two armed guards down a grassy path on the east side of the castle.

The shadow looked blanched with worry. "Perhaps," he agreed hesitantly. "But it was only the beginning. There is plenty of time for things to turn foul."

"Don't be so gloomy!" the fairy admonished.

"I cannot help it—I'm a shadow."

Navi didn't know if he were joking or being serious, but she kept her mouth shut and turned her attention to the thunder clouds gathering above. An uneasy feeling was slowly creeping into her like a cold wind, and it came neither from her injuries nor the darkening weather above.

The Temple of Time loomed ahead like an ominous figure, crouching and waiting for its prey to walk unsuspectingly through its dark maw of chiseled granite and marble. It filled Veil with a brand of fear the likes of which he could neither determine nor describe, and he wished terribly that he could hold onto Link where he knew he would be safe. The sentries and the three young men ascended the stairs and entered the temple, walking unhurriedly across the lavish red carpet and past the upraised section of floor that bore the Symbol of Light upon it. Ahead of them on a stunted monolith glimmered the three Spiritual Stones: the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby, and the Zora Sapphire.

Veil stared in awe at everything around them, wandering about the temple cautiously. Sheik nodded to the sentries, indicating that it was all right to allow the shadow to roam at his leisure as he was no threat to them.

Presently, footsteps sounded outside and Princess Zelda, surrounded by a few retainers and counselors, glided in with illustrious grace, her glittering tiara sitting beautifully upon her fair brow and her silken skirts gathered into her gloved hands as she stepped across the marble floor as smoothly as water flows down a fountain's stones. She was incomprehensibly beautiful. Accompanying her was Chamberlain Leith; Rauru the Sage of Light, a balding, stocky man with a bushy white moustache; and Impa, a tall and muscular Sheikah woman of silver hair and crimson eyes who was a retired royal guardian and currently the Sage of Shadow.

Veil immediately rushed himself back to the safety of his companions and, after their manner, bowed deeply to Her Highness as well.

"Link," the young woman said with happiness and relief in her voice as she strode swiftly toward the Hylian, taking his hands in her own and smiling. "I'm so glad you've returned." She turned to gaze at Sheik. "Thank you for watching over him, Sheik. I am most grateful for your service."

"My pleasure, your Highness," he replied properly. "But it was not I who saved Link's life when it was threatened."

"Really?" she inquired. "Then whom?"

Sheik gestured with his arm to the shadow, lingering behind his companions and staring at Zelda with dumbfounded awe. Immediately the princess released Link's hands and stepped back, marveling with equal shock at the young man who looked so much like the Hero of Time.

"My word," she breathed. "What kind of magic is this?"

"Dark magic," Sage Rauru said, stepping forward to stand beside Zelda and scowling openly at Veil. "It is the evil conjured by Ganondorf himself, the shadow that has outlived its Dark Master and now seeks to usurp all that dwells in the light of divinity."

"I am no such monster!" Veil defended himself against these frightening accusations. "Link is my Master, and I obey only he. Ganondorf may have created me, but his evil no longer is a part of my being!"

"So says the creature brought forth from the iniquitous loins of Darkness," Rauru muttered.

Sheik jumped in: "He is not the villain you think he is, I can vouch for that. When Link first defeated him in the Water Temple, he killed the evil that was holding the shadow captive. He has since become a model of compassion and understa-"

"Don't you dare to negate me, Master Sheik," Rauru said gruffly. "That shadow represents the last trace of Ganondorf's evil, and it must be destroyed-"

"You cannot!" Sheik flew into a heated passion, forgetting his lesser rank to the Sage. "Veil is more than just a mere copy of Link himself, he is the shadow of Link's soul! Without him, Link's divine light will eventually poison itself and he will die, both physically and spiritually."

"It cannot be," Zelda whispered vehemently, gazing at her beloved Link. "Is this true, Link? Is that creature your . . . your soul's shadow?"

"Yes," he replied laconically. "It is, unfortunately."

"What is the _matter_ with you?" Sheik shouted at Link. "Suddenly he's not a person to you anymore? When did _this_ happen? Was it after he threw himself to his knees and begged for your forgiveness for loving you so much? Or was it when you decided that you would rather put your trust in some pompous old man like Rauru instead of your own heart-"

"Ilya!" Impa said sharply. "_Shiile ni tenar lodun!_" And Sheik allowed his sentence to go unfinished.

Rauru's face was red with anger as he growled, "You snide little whelp! What kind of audacity do you dare to flaunt in-"

"Sage Rauru, that is enough," Zelda interrupted in a regal voice that demanded obedience. The old man shut his mouth and glowered.

Link turned to stare incredulously at the withdrawn Sheikah. "Ilya?" he echoed.

Sheik looked up with an almost apologetic glimmer in his eyes. "You didn't really think 'Sheik' was my actual name, did you?"

The Hylian looked betrayed. "Wh-why did . . . When . . . ?"

"Gentlemen, please," Impa said. "Can we return to the matter at hand?"

"Yes, I'd like to know how to be rid of this problem and focus upon restoring any damage that this shadow might have caused," Rauru muttered.

Veil shrank away behind Sheik, the only one who seemed to be defending him from these unpleasant people. "I don't want to be here anymore," he whispered to Navi. "Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it."

Navi didn't reply, but tightened her hold on Veil's tunic, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"I'm afraid it won't be as easy as you think," Sheik—or the young man known as Ilya—said with a tone of satisfaction in his voice. "Veil, as a part of Link's soul, is immortal. He cannot be killed."

"How then can we hope to return time to its normal flow and keep the world from falling into darkness if we cannot destroy the very thing that is endangering it?" cried Rauru. "All things have a weakness; we need only to find it."

"_We_ do not need to," Impa said levelly. "As Sage of the Shadow Temple, I have seen for myself how beings of little substance thrive and live on as if unaffected by death or injury. If what Ilya says is true, then none of us holds the means necessary to remove the shadow from this world. Only the one who has given him life has the power to take it away." She gazed at Veil and nodded once. "Tell us, how did you receive that scar, Shadow? From a certain sword, perhaps?"

The dark haired young man uttered a silent gasp and grabbed tightly onto Sheik for protection. Sheik stood tall and unmoving, though he gazed at the faces around him with uncertainty in his rouge eyes.

"Ah, so I see," said Rauru slowly. "It is the power of the Master Sword. As the blade that holds the memories of the Hero of Time, it is the only tool which is directly connected to his original quest . . . and all the original evil he defeated. While no weapon of this current course of time is able to scratch the shadow, the Master Sword alone is the key to which this door to a future free from evil shall be opened."

Link frowned as these words slowly seeped into his understanding, the alarm apparent in his expression. "Wait. Wait, what are you saying? You're not going to kill him, are you?"

"No," said Impa. "We can't. But _you_ can."

Link's blue eyes went wide. "Wh-what?"

"The Master Sword, Link," said the Sheikah woman gently. "No one here was granted the power to wield that blade. It is a destiny that no one but you possesses, and only you were chosen by the Goddesses to be the destroyer of evil. With you, and with the Master Sword, lies the ability to right all that is wrong, and set time on its correct path once again."

Zelda stared sadly at Veil for a moment before turning to the Hylian Hero. "Link," she murmured. "I know it must seem difficult for you to destroy something that looks so much like you and acts as human as the rest of us-"

"What!" Veil cried desperately from over Sheik's shoulder. "But I _am_ human! It's not an act! I-"

"Silence, you fiend!" bellowed Rauru, and the shadow pulled himself behind Sheik's back once more.

Zelda looked distraught as she gazed up at Link. "You must understand. You must take up your sword and put an end to this. For Hyrule. For the world. Please, Link. You must do this."

Link tried to speak but no words came from his mouth. His eyes were vacant, lost, unable to believe.

"What's the matter, Hero?" Sheik's voice cut through the air like a knife. "Regret something?"

The Hylian looked over at his companion, and the shadow that was holding so desperately onto him. And in his heart he did indeed feel regret. He felt a mountain of it falling down upon him, crushing him into a darkness devoid of light and air. He found his words, though his voice was trembling and weak:

"Surely . . . surely, there must be another way?"

Sage Rauru stepped forth. "There is no _time_ to find another way, boy! The clock is counting down, and if we do not act now then it may be too late to act! And if there is any question as to what might happen if this remnant continues to exist, I can assure you that it shall result in more than just the loss of your shadow." And he pointed to the floor at Link's feet where the faint light coming in from the stained glass windows cast no shadow of his person across the polished marble.

"He is right, Link," said the princess slowly. "We do not have time to sit around and think of ways to spare this . . . _creature _while the end is fast approaching."

"Your Highness," interrupted Leith, who had remained quiet during most of the argument, "what if the shadow's death affects Link somehow? What if it kills him as well?"

"Its destruction should not affect the Hero," answered Rauru gruffly. "After all, it is merely a shadow of his soul, is it not? It is not his actual spirit. It is not connected with his life in any way. He shall survive, as he did when he first killed it."

Navi looked over to see Veil's reaction to this dreadful conversation, expecting him to be crying tears of anguish and despair . . . but strangely enough, he seemed unusually calm. "Veil?" she whispered. "Veil, are you all right?"

"No," he replied lowly. "They are right, Navi. He does not need me to survive."

"Veil, wait. Don't talk like that! Veil!" But the fairy's words went unheeded as the shadow stepped out from behind Sheik and picked her from his shoulder gently, and placed her upon the Sheikah's shoulder.

"I am ready to face my fate," he said loudly to them all, the turned to gaze at Link. "I never thought that death was anything but useless and filled with unnecessary sorrow . . . but now I see that death can be merciful and used toward a greater good. If I must die to save this beautiful world of yours, then I shall. At least, perhaps, some part of me will live on, and I'll rejoice that you are still alive, Master."

Link shook his head numbly. "Veil-" he began, but the shadow did not let him finish.

"You heard the Sages, Link. I was never meant to exist in this world. I have no place in it, and without your love I do not _want_ a place in it. Everything I've seen here: the stars, the sun, the trees, the grass, the flowers, the birds. It means nothing to me without you there to see it with me. Without you, the day is nothing but a waste of light. Without your love, my life has lost all its meaning, and I am nothing more than the shadow that follows you wherever you go, as empty and dark as the void from which I came.

"Think of it this way: kill me out of mercy, not out of duty. Send me back to the darkness, for there's no difference between it and a blue sky over green fields; it all looks the same to me without you."

Veil faced Princess Zelda, who had tears brimming in her eyes. And he said simply, with all the calmness he could ever possess, "I am ready to die now."

* * *

It was ironic how he never noticed things until now, like the way the large tendon in his wrist pronounced itself over his pale blue veins when he tightened his fist. Or that the cloth of his tunic was actually made up of very very small strings all woven together so tightly, one on top of the other and crisscrossing over until they formed something bigger. Or the way tears caused everything he saw to look distorted and bent out of shape. Or how the dark bangs that fell into his eyes on the right side were shorter than the ones on the left, because they had been cut by Link's sword when he had given him the scar across his face . . . the same sword that Link now held in his hand as they stood upon the platform where the pedestal of the legendary blade itself lay. Dim light filtered down through the single window above, and outside the low rumbling of distant thunder could be heard. Veil would have liked to have seen rain, but now he would never know.

Not that it mattered to him anymore. He had broken Link's trust. He had lost him, and now he was going to be put out of his misery. It all worked out, though. Veil's biggest fear was living in a world without Link, and now he was going to have that fear put to rest. He would never again know Link's smile, never again see him laugh, never again hear music or birds singing or smell flowers, but he would never know despair and agony and woe that would inevitably come when his Master died. That in itself was worth this noble suicide; to never have to know a world without Link. It was the most merciful wish that could ever be granted to him.

Princess Zelda, Leith, Rauru, Impa, Sheik and Navi gathered at the steps of the platform and watched—some with grim acceptance and others with sadness—as Veil went down on his knees before Link, who looked as if he were locked in a trance from which he could not escape.

The shadow reached up and removed the pentacle that Falavus had given him, and held it out to Link. "Here. I have no use for this any longer."

The Hylian gently took the necklace from him without a word, and tucked it into his tunic.

"Link," Veil said softly so that no one else could hear, and gazed up at his beautiful master. "Promise that you won't forget me. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you, and for everything I have done that has ever upset you. Know that whatever I did was done with the love of you in my heart, and that nothing which awaits me in death shall ever alter the fervor of that love."

He bowed his head and folded down the collar of his shirt, exposing the back of his neck for the clean cut of the blade. "I am ready now."

Navi buried herself in the silk gauze of Sheik's collar and wept bitterly.

Link, staring down at his shadow with a vacant numbness, slowly raised the Master Sword above his head with both hands and placed the tip of the blade to the vulnerable flesh of Veil's neck. And then his mind went out from underneath him, rushing and roaring full of thoughts like a river swollen from years of pouring rain.

_Do you like it? I made it just for you._

All I've ever wanted . . .

_For you are my light, my keeper, my salvation._

. . . was to belong, to find my place in this life, to find a home, a family to call my own . . .

_You can belong to _me_ if you'd like._

. . . to find my true purpose as a human being, not as a tool to fight evil . . .

_I want to be given a name and a place in this world of yours, more than anything else, because this world is so beautiful, and I would like to stay here. With you._

Tears filled Link's eyes, and he was blinded. How could he do this? How could he take the life of something that had come from himself?

_I know the pain you feel, for it is also my own. And as long as I remain here in this world, you shall never be alone._

How could he survive the regret? How could he live with the memories? They would last forever, and he would remember forever, and he would feel the pain. Forever.

_Don't worry. Nothing lasts forever._

Link could suddenly see again; the tears had fallen from his eyes, and now he saw the single bead of blood forming where the tip of the sword was pressing into Veil's neck.

_Am I not human, like you? Does my flesh not bleed, like yours?_

A glittering ruby of life, a ruby that should have never been but somehow was. It was not beautiful because of how it looked, but because that it had taken a miracle to create it. Every particle, every tiny thing that made up that single drop of blood, simply could _not_ have been created by accident. There _had_ to be a purpose and a meaning to it. There just _had_ to be!

A cry of anguish escaped Link's throat, and he lifted the sword from Veil's neck and tossed it down, where it clanged loudly against the platform and slid down the stairs to the floor. The spectators stared in shock as Link sank to his knees, threw his arms around Veil's shoulders and embraced him tightly.

"Forgive me!" he begged. "Forgive me, Veil. I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry I. For everything!"

"Link," the shadow whispered, "you shall always have my forgiveness, no matter the transgression."

The Hylian pulled back and took Veil's face in his hands, leaning forward and kissing him in front of the Goddesses, the Princess, the Sages, and the whole world. It was a hurried, frantic kiss that lacked depth and skill, but was more powerful to Link and Veil than any touch they had previously shared. Rauru began sputtering like a boiling kettle of water, and Zelda made a small, tortured noise in the back of her throat, no doubt stunned beyond all reckoning at this shocking, immoral behavior from her beloved Hero.

In another instant, their lips were separated and they pulled each other to their feet, standing defiantly before the crowd.

"What—what is the _meaning_ of this!" Rauru roared, his voice ricocheting off of the stone walls.

Impa darted forward to take up the Master Sword, but she had barely reached for it when it was snatched up and suddenly pointed in her face. Looking beyond its edge, she saw Sheik positioned defensively, blocking the path to his companions and holding onto it steadily with both hands.

"I don't want to use this," he uttered, "but I will if you provoke me."

"Guards! Seize him!" Rauru ordered, but as the sentries moved in to surround the rebel Sheikah, there came a bright light from the platform, and all eyes turned up to behold Link standing with a ball of glowing white fire billowing from his left hand, looking shaken but otherwise determined. The guards instead surrounded the princess for her protection in case the crazed Hylian should start throwing fire around.

"Everyone," Link said evenly, "calm yourselves. There has to be another way of working through this."

"Link," Zelda whispered tragically. "Link, don't do this. You're only getting yourself into trouble."

"Ilya, put down the sword," Impa tried to coax the Sheikah, but he remained set in his stance.

Link tried to reason with Rauru: "Falavus Talrhos told us everything about you, and she also told us of a legend that her people had about soul shadows."

"You _what_?" the old Sage bellowed.

"Listen, she might be able to help us! We stayed with her for several days and she was working on finding out all she could of this theory the druids had-"

"There is no time for theories. The shadow must die!"

"He doesn't have to! I'll find a way to save him!"

"Link," Sheik muttered, "don't waste your breath. I suggest you get out of here while you still can. These imbeciles are simply not willing to listen to you."

The Hylian lingered, torn between trying to explain to the Sages the druids' theory and fleeing from their ignorance. Veil tugged on his arm. "Sheik's right," he said urgently. "We need to go. We can return later after we've learned how to set things back to normal."

"Link, no!" cried Zelda. "Don't do this! You'll be an outlaw! Every soldier in Hyrule will be after you. Please, think of what you're doing!"

"Link, make a decision!" Sheik shouted, giving the sword a good brandishing to keep the approaching guards off of him. "I can't hold back the army when it arrives!"

"Come on, we must leave," Veil said, and Link extinguished the magical fire in his hand and dashed down the platform stairs.

"Link!" cried Navi. "Wait for me!" And with a small huff of exertion, she stood upon Sheik's shoulder and threw herself into the air. Halfway to the floor, her fluttering wings found their strength again and she soared into the air after her friends.

"Navi!" Link exclaimed joyfully as the fairy flew above his head, raining down sparkles of light. "You can fly again!"

"Link, catch!"

He turned in time to see Sheik toss the Master Sword, spinning, into the air toward him. Veil threw himself out of the blade's path and Link caught it neatly by the hilt, and slipped it into the scabbard that was strapped to his back.

Sheik smiled. "Nice catch. Now go! Get out of here!"

"GUARRRDS!" Sage Rauru shouted to the soldiers they had left stationed outside of the temple doors, but that was all he managed to say before the rebelling Sheikah threw his fist into the fat man's jaw, sending him crashing backwards to the floor. Guards were on top of Sheik in a flash and hauling him away.

Link looked back over his shoulder and stopped running, wanting desperately to fling himself into the mass of armor and free his friend, but there was no time for it, and the guards from outside were storming into the temple. He and Veil lay into them like a tornado, sending them scattering like frightened rabbits when Link drew his sword and, using his gifts of magic, caused it to glow with a threatening power.

It was a pandemonium, a crushing throng of madness.

Thunder boomed and lightning cracked just overhead, and Veil and Link barreled down the steps of the Temple of Time with Navi zooming up just ahead. Armed guards were shouting and tearing after them in a confused mass of clanking, clattering steel. Despite the severity of the moment, Link found himself laughing out loud.

They burst into the marketplace and elbowed their way through the crowds, tripping over squawking chickens and bumping into shrieking women, and at last broke into a sprint when they made it to the drawbridge. There was an unattended horse hitched to a post, and they helped themselves to it and were off with a thundering of hooves and a cloud of dust. Behind them they could hear the angry voices of the guards they had thwarted.

The sky opened up and the rain poured down on them in torrents. Link felt Veil's arms squeeze him tightly and a warm voice say in his ear: "I think I made something of a first impression, wouldn't you?"

Link laughed.


	19. A Rainbow in the Darkness

Link and Veil rode onward into the torrential downpour, away from the grim fates behind them at Hyrule Castle and into a shade of reality where a Hero became an Outlaw and the Innocent became the Guilty. The driving rain all but obscured the way ahead, limiting sight distance to mere feet. But it didn't matter—they were directionless and unguided by forethought, running simply to escape, running because their lives depended upon it. They did not dare cast a glance over their shoulders, fearing that perhaps their eyes would be met with the sight of a fast-approaching legion sent to bring them back, to drag them to their dooms, kicking and screaming and professing their innocence.

Soon the horse began to tire, unable to run as fast or as far while bearing two riders. The pair was beset with dismay, until a dark shape appeared over the horizon: the high, sturdy walls Lon Lon Ranch.

Link brought the horse to a halt and dismounted, bidding Veil do the same. Once he was off, Link gave a sharp slap to the animal's haunches, sending it galloping off into the rain. "They will be looking for the horse and its riders," he shouted over the thunder. "We wouldn't have gotten much farther, anyway. We're better off hiding than running at this point." And he took Veil's hand in his own and pulled him through the gates of the ranch.

Link, who recalled the layout of the well-known horse farm through the memories of his first quest, quickly led Veil to the tool barn that sat secluded on the other side of the corral. Once the thick wooden door had been shut behind them, Navi flew out from underneath Link's hat and shook the water from her body vigorously. In the pitch darkness of the barn, she was a glowing ball of light.

"I just cannot win," she griped, flying about to dry herself. "I must be having a bad decade."

"Look for a lantern, Navi," Link said, "before Veil and I stumble and impale ourselves on a pitchfork or something."

"What do you mean?" Veil said. "I can see you clearly."

"What?"

"You're standing no more than two feet from me, right next to that wooden post. Can't you see me?" The shadow waved his hand in front of Link's blind eyes but, as was suspected, the Hylian could not see him nor anything else.

"I'll help Navi search," Veil decided. "Stay where you are. There's a plow to your left and if you step backward you're going to fall."

Link crossed his arms over his chest to keep warm and waited, watching the fairy's halo of light momentarily illuminate her surroundings as she flew back and forth, scanning and investigating. Her aura suddenly glowed green with excitement and she exclaimed, "Found one!"

After some clanking and clattering, Veil appeared before Link in the dim light of Navi's radiance and held the lantern out to him. "It has oil, but it just needs to be lit. Can you do it?"

Link grinned in the dark. "After that fireball I summoned in the temple, I just hope there's enough of my energy left to make a spark."

But exceeding his expectations, Link was able to summon a small flame from his palm and roll it down onto the tip of his finger like a droplet of water, where he then lit the wick of the lamp and turned it up. A bright orange glow lit up the barn, and finally revealed two rain-drenched and haggard looking young men, leaving puddles on the floor where they stood.

"Look at you," Veil said softly, reaching over and wiping Link's matted blond hair from his forehead with care. "You're absolutely freezing."

"Just need to get out of these wet clothes and we'll be fine," he replied, hanging the lamp on a nearby peg, then unbuckling his belt and wrestling off his soaked leather boots. Veil followed suit, wringing the water from his long tunic before removing it. They were both sopping wet, right down to the skin.

"I wish I'd been wearing my Zora tunic," Link said with a smile and a shiver as he unstrapped his sword bandolier, set the scabbard aside, and peeled off his outer green layer, twisting it in his hands and creating another puddle on the floor.

"Me, too," Navi agreed, flying over and cosying up to the lantern for warmth.

"I wish we'd had time to go back to the stables and pilfer a few things," Link added dourly. "All of our supplies are back at Hyrule Castle."

"Don't worry," the fairy said. "We'll manage somehow."

Link nodded faintly. "I suppose we'll have to."

Veil hung his dark gray tunic from a beam just above his head and removed his undershirt with a moist flapping sound, hanging it similarly and doing the same with Link's tunic. He shook the water from his hands and combed his damp black hair out of his eyes, sighing heavily.

Link, who was in the process of removing his shirt, suddenly brushed his hand against something odd, and he pulled from beneath the wet cloth the silver pentacle that Veil had given to him before his thankfully-eluded execution.

"Here," said the Hylian with an apologetic smile. "I believe this is yours."

Veil smiled gently in reply and bowed his head, and Link stepped close and slipped the pendant around his neck. The silver star gleamed beautifully in the lamp light against the tan skin of Veil's firm chest, and Link trailed his fingers across the cool metal, gazing first at the pentacle and then at the face of his twin, who stared back at him with colorless eyes, cold in shade but warm with emotion.

"I don't know how you can forgive me for all of the heartless things I've done to you since we met," said Link in a soft voice.

"Link," the shadow murmured, pulling him into his wet arms and embracing him, "you have been pardoned of your wrongs long ago. The only person who hasn't forgiven you is yourself."

The Hylian's face reflected his feelings of relief and admittance, and he wrapped his arms over Veil's bare shoulders. "I know," he said with a small grin. "I am the most difficult person I have ever negotiated with."

The shadow chuckled softly and Link pulled away; as he did, his fingers brushed against the small cut on the back of Veil's neck, where the blade of the Master Sword had once been poised. Veil winced slightly at the contact.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Link exclaimed. "I didn't mean to touch it. Does it hurt badly?"

"No," Veil replied with a smile. "It but stings a little."

Link looked miserably guilty. "I don't think I'll ever be able to stop asking for your forgiveness."

"Don't fret! It will heal." Kindness sparkled deep within Veil's gray eyes as he gently caressed Link's cool cheek in his warm hand, and leaned over to press a shallow kiss to his brow.

Link drew in a slow breath and closed his eyes. "I hope," he murmured, pulling away and gingerly tracing the discolored scar running across Veil's right cheek. "I've already scarred your body enough with my ignorance."

"Do not grieve anymore, Link, please," said Veil firmly. "Stop dwelling upon unpleasant memories. I have learned to put the past behind me, for the present is a much fairer place to live."

Link was quiet for a while. "I wish I had known you sooner," he whispered, gazing sullenly into his shadow's eyes. "You seem to be a part of me I lost long ago. The part of me that remembers what hope is, that never forgets how precious and beautiful life is, even in the ugliest of places. You are not my shadow, Veil—you are my rainbow. Every color of my soul has been poured into you, from the happiest memories of my childhood to the distant dreams of what the future holds for me.

"I want _you_ to be a part of my future, Veil, from now until the end. I want to make the journey into tomorrow and tomorrow with you by my side, for I cannot imagine traveling the path without you there to remind me of what happiness and faith means. My friend. My brother."

Veil took up his twin's hands, leaned close and nuzzled his nose to Link's, saying in a voice barely above a breath: "My love."

The rain drummed upon the roof, rumbling dully in the silence after Veil's words. Navi glowed a faint pink as she blushed, watching the scene unfold below. She decided that she should give them some privacy, and if anything she knew of people was correct, they would be most appreciative of her not witnessing the following series of events. She abandoned her post at the lamp and flew off to a far corner of the barn to search for a place to nest for the night.

Tentatively, Link pulled his wet shirt over his head and hung it on the beam, then stood before Veil bare-chested and cold, his flesh white and pebbly with goose bumps. They removed the rest of their soaked clothes in silence and draped them anywhere they could. Naked and chilled, Link shivered in the open air. Veil pulled him into his warm embrace, rubbing the clammy skin of his back in an effort to restore some heat to it.

"You're still so cold," worried the shadow. "We should find you a blanket before you freeze."

"It is not that cold outside," protested Link.

"I wouldn't want you catching pneumonia."

"You know what that is now?"

"Yes, Professor Eldwin told me," said Veil matter-of-factly. "It's a terrible infection, and we simply cannot risk you getting ill at this time. We've enough to worry about as it is, and besides, I don't know how to look after a sick person."

"Very well," sighed Link, taking up the lantern. "I don't know how you expect to find a blanket in a tool barn, but I do know for a fact that there's a loft up above that's always filled with hay. We'd do best to stay there for the night."

In the corner of the barn there was a ladder which led up to a loft that was indeed covered with a thick carpet of hay; several bales sat stacked against the opposite wall, and it was surprisingly warm and dry. They were even fortunate enough to find a rough wool blanket, and while it smelled of horses and kerosene, it was better than nothing at all. Fresh hay was quite prickly and itchy against bare flesh, and at least it was something to ward off the nettlesome straws.

With the lamp hanging from the rafters above, Veil and Link sat with their backs against the bales in the dim light and listened to the steady rhythm of the pouring rain, sharing the blanket and grateful that they had shelter. Link rested his head upon Veil's shoulder and let his mind wander, sighing gently from time to time as he thought of things he regretted or how difficult a time lay ahead of them now that they were wanted criminals. The shadow wrapped his arm about Link's waist and said nothing for a long while, equally as pensive and worried about their fates.

"I hope Sheik doesn't get punished for helping us," Veil finally murmured. "Do you think he will be all right?"

"If Sheik is still who I think he is," Link replied, "then yes, he will be fine."

"Do you suppose his name is really Ilya?"

"I don't know." The Hylian's expression grew pained. "I thought I knew him well, but . . . I guess it just goes to show that the Sheikah are and will always be a mysterious, secretive people." He shivered suddenly and cuddled closer to Veil's warm body.

A thought occurred to Link and he asked, with his cheek pressed to his shadow's shoulder, "Does the cold not affect you, Veil? You are still so warm."

"The only cold I feel is that of you," Veil replied. "I feel nothing else. I still do not know many things which mortal men experience."

Link, his thoughts having led again to what he had been pondering for quite some time, found the courage to ask in a timid voice: "Do you . . . know what it means to make love, Veil?"

"Make love?"

"Yes."

"No, I . . . I don't." Veil paused, turning his head to gaze at Link, and saw the desire and longing that flowed deep in those cerulean irises. With their hearts open wide to one another, their thoughts mingled like eddying breezes, passing and exchanging and running back and forth. Through Link, as was done on their first encounter in the dark day before they were allies, Veil drew the worldly knowledge from his master's gaze, and it was then that he caught his breath; for he understood the meaning, and he understood what Link was asking of him.

He withdrew his hand from around Link's waist and pulled away. "I, I can't," he stammered worriedly, and his cheeks began to take color for the first time, a ruddiness that was made beautiful by contrast to his black hair.

"Why not?"

"I've never done it before," Veil said with difficulty. "It is something only humans do and I-" He trailed off.

Link said softly, "You desire to be human, Veil. I can see it every time you look at me; you know that for your appearance and all your emotions that you still don't possess all the traits which make you human. Sex is-" He lowered his voice. "Sex is simply a part of being human."

"But it is not going to _make_ me human," he muttered.

"No, it won't. But Veil," Link took the dark haired young man's chin in his hand and turned his head so that they were staring into each other's eyes. "There are more important things to being human other than physical processes. Sex is—_love_ is something special, something intimate that two humans share . . . and I wish to share it with you, in its most ultimate form." His voice became rough as a knot formed in his throat. "I, I wish to because I love you, and I cannot think of any other way of showing it more completely. Please, Veil. I want to make love with you."

Tears flooded the shadow's eyes and he pulled away from Link's touch, shaking his head determinedly. "No. I simply cannot. I . . . What if I hurt you?" His tone held a note of terror at the mere mention. "What if I _scar_ you?"

"I am not made of glass," Link said. "I won't break if you are rough with me. Please, Veil. I have also never done this, and I would not give myself away so indifferently if my heart had not already made its decision. Please do not force me to beg—it is so unbecoming."

Veil looked at Link's face, at the fear and uncertainty etched in the fine lines of his brow, in the trembling of his bottom lip, and the dam of tears threatening to spill from his blue eyes with so much as a breath. Fear, but also love. The same as what was flowing through Veil's veins, what made his heart pound and his mouth go dry.

On an unseen plane of thought there was a precipice known as Love, overlooking an abyss of the unknown. At the bottom could be Paradise or Hell itself, and Veil stood blindfolded upon the edge and was asked to jump. Today he held Link's heart, but what if that changed tomorrow? What if Hell awaited below? What if this was a test to destroy what he had worked so hard to attain? Dare he jump? Was there enough desire in his heart to risk everything, with perhaps the rare chance to achieve a greater form of love? How could a love _ possibly_ be greater than what he already felt? It was inconceivable.

Veil loved Link with all of his heart, blindly, deafly, dumbly. He loved him as Man loves his God, and would do anything asked of him without question, so great was his faith.

But when asked to prove his love, what could he do? How could his passion be summed up into a single gesture? How could any act in this mortal world possibly give a _shred_ of indication as to the degree of the burning fires of his heart? He was asked to do the impossible, and Veil shed tears of frustration at his own inability to choose, his own weakness, his own cowardice. He had backed away from the precipice, for it was not worth the chance.

"I don't want to lose you," he choked, gathering Link into a crushing embrace. "I don't want you to leave me. I don't want to be alone!"

"Then love me now, while you can," Link whispered. "I will not live forever, Veil. I could be dead next week, or even tomorrow. If you do not make your decision now, I may never have the chance to ask you to do this ever again . . . and you will regret it for the rest of your existence."

A sword called Time was now at Veil's back, pushing him toward the edge of the abyss. Inch by inch, thought by thought, he stumbled nearer. Would he go willingly or would he be forced over? Would he accept his fate and jump, or fall wishing he had done nothing?

But wait . . . What was this? A voice, calling him from just ahead. A warm, familiar voice, filled with laughter and comfort and care, a light that Veil could see even from behind his blindfold.

In his head he imagined his master standing before a piercing, heavenly light, with his golden hair flowing in the wind and his eyes sparkling like a thousand stars, smiling warmly and lovingly with his arms open wide, waiting for Veil to fall into them and be held forever and ever. For all eternity this memory would stay with him, this one moment in which everything was perfect; Link, as beautiful and divine as he was now, would live on forever. And nothing, not even Death, was capable of taking it away from him.

Returned from the shimmering white light of his mind and to the soft darkness of the hayloft, Veil allowed the last of his tears to fall from his eyes before his lips sought Link's and found them, pressing with passionate desperation against their softness, knowing that they would not bruise because they were strong, because the light was strong. Link was strong. And he would not break beneath him.

* * *

The dungeons were a horrible place to be kept during wet weather. Of course, they were firstly a horrible place to be kept at all, but especially so during a rainstorm. Deep beneath the ground in the lowest level of Hyrule Castle, Sheik sat apathetically in the corner of his cell and waited to be summoned. The large mortar and stone of three walls leaked water and were dank, covered with mildew. The floor was even more disgusting, and Sheik was only sitting down on it because he had grown weary of pacing the length of his confinement. Heavy iron bars were his fourth wall, gazing at similar cells across the narrow corridor, dotted with burning torches. Most of them were empty and used only as temporary holding cells for those who had committed crimes against the royal family—temporary because Hyrule was well-known for its swift trial and judgment process, and also because any crime against royalty qualified an immediate execution.

But Sheik was not worried about execution, only about the tempers of the rats that ran along the floors and in between cracks in the walls from time to time. It was Rauru who had suggested that the Sheikah be carted off to the spend the night alone in the lovely, accommodating dungeons, giving him plenty of time to resent his mutinous actions displayed at the Temple of Time earlier. But Sheik did not resent his actions, stating proudly to Rauru that he wished he had only acted sooner to buy his friends more time.

The old man had not been the least bit happy to hear such treasonous words from the mouth of one bound to the service of the royal family, and must have told the guards who escorted him down to the prison to be extra rough with him. Sheik was not so easily battered or bruised, and had been able to fend off the much larger guards with minor rebuttals.

He gingerly touched where his bottom lip had been split from a strike to his face, glad to see that it had stopped bleeding and was now beginning to scab over. With a sigh, Sheik leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, feeling that perhaps he should make the best of his free time by getting some rest, however terrible it may be.

He had just begun to grow sleepy when his acute hearing picked up the sound of soft footsteps, and he sat expectantly with his eyes turned toward the iron bars. A man, judging by the breadth and weight of the steps. Not a guard; no clanking of armor could be heard. Crisp steps; a member of the court, perhaps. Someone wearing tall boots. Using a simple process of elimination, Sheik had figured out who it was before they even arrived. The mysterious person seemed to know he knew, for he stopped just before reaching his cell and waited.

Sheik smiled slightly and inquired, "Come to join me for a party this lovely evening, Chamberlain?"

The tall man strode into view, grinning fondly and shaking his head. "I don't know how you do it, Ilya. I could dance upon my toes like a young girl and still you would know it was I."

"No, I would tell from the screams as you fell on your face that it was you," the young man replied with a smirk, rising from his dreary seat, sauntering over and draping his arms casually about the bars. "Have you been sent to liberate me from my cozy hellhole already?"

"I wish it were so," Leith replied with a heavy sigh, and gazed at Sheik sadly. "You've certainly gotten yourself into trouble this time. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"The guards roughed you up, I see. The bastards."

"Calm down, I'm fine," Sheik said, swatting away the man's hand as it reached out to touch his face. "You should see what I did to _them_ before spending all your pity on me."

The gray haired man smiled. "You are something, Ilya. Make no mistake about it."

"You flatter me. Anyway," Sheik muttered, leaning against the bars, "did you come down here for just a cordial chat or on business?"

"I actually had to sneak down here when no one was looking," Leith admitted, then added in a hushed voice, "I come bearing important news. Direly important."

Sheik narrowed his crimson eyes. "Does it have anything to do with Link and Veil? Do you know where they are?"

"No, but I'm suspecting that you do, if you're as clairvoyant as I know you are," Leith replied. "I thought that perhaps I would be able to help them by searching through the hall of records here at the castle, hoping to find some inkling of this 'soul shadow' that Link spoke of."

"And?"

"I found nothing, but don't be discouraged! Ilya . . ." Leith leaned in close, his face drawn and serious. "I stumbled across something I should have never laid eyes upon." He reached into his vest and pulled out a thin, ancient looking leather bound book. "It's some sort of journal written about the seventh king of Hyrule," he explained. "It was a little hard to read what with a few pages missing here and there, but it is filled—simply _filled_—with mentions of the Sheikah. Ilya, it's terrible. I never knew-"

"You came all the way down here to bother me with folktales of my ancestors? Honestly, Leith!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the chamberlain repeated. "I know how concerned you are with your friends right now and I'm doing all I can to help. Here, take this." He handed the journal through the bars. "Read it when you can, but for Din's sake, don't let anyone see it or take it from you! Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"It's very important!"

"Yes! I understand!"

"Damn it, Ilya." Leith reached through the bars and grabbed Sheik in a tight embrace. "I always thought you were too impetuous for your own good. Now look at where it has gotten you."

"I'll be fine," Sheik said softly. "You'd better get out of here before they notice your absence. Really. I'll be all right."

Leith pulled away. "I've always thought of you as a son," he said with a gentle smile. "A father worries for his children, you know."

"And a father knows when his children can stand on their own." Sheik clutched the journal to his chest tightly. "If you wish to help them, you can find them at Lon Lon Ranch."

Leith looked puzzled. "Lon Lon? They would not be foolhardy enough to seek refuge so close to the castle!"

"Which is why they did, for no one would have thought they'd be hiding in plain sight," said Sheik. "Keep a tight lip now, and move quickly. They won't stay there for long. If they've already gone by the time you get there, find me and I'll tell you where they went, though I doubt anyone shall be able to reach them once they are there."

"Right," Leith nodded smartly and walked quickly away. "Be sure to read that now!" he called, and Sheik watched until his shadow disappeared and the dungeon was plunged into silence once more, save for the occasional drip-drip somewhere in the distance.

Sighing heavily, the young Sheikah looked down at the book in his hands and sat on the floor, opening to the first page and beginning to read.


	20. Secrets

_Documented in the year 1202 by the Royal Clerk Oren Gaothaire under His Majesty King Ansgar the Second, Seventh Ruler of Hyrule. Translated in the year 1698 from Old Hyrulian by Sir Gleyv of Brye, four hundred and ninety five years after the death of Clerk Oren Gaothaire._

Excerpt:

_Several years have passed since the nomadic tribe of wanderers first ventured to Hyrule from the Westlands beyond the desert of the wild Gyerudo region. They call themselves 'Shikara' and are marked by peculiar and distinguishing features, most notably their reddish eyes and silver or gray hair. They are a short, slender people of bronze skin and delicate features, very quiet and observant among crowds. Some bear tattoos upon their faces, especially the females, who seem to be the dominant sex of the clan. The males often have tattoos upon the chest or back in the form of a single lidless eye. Sages are baffled at its meaning, though some have speculated that it has religious or spiritual significance._

_The spoken language of the Shikara is soft and cursive, and there appears to be no indication of any written word among them, although they have certainly learned to read the Hyrulian language well enough, and some of the younger ones to even speak it. _

_Many of these people are well-practiced at playing musical instruments, especially curious stringed ones resembling harps and lyres. They seem to have an affinity for music and making instruments, which constitutes a majority of their livelihood in trade and sales. They are an industrious people who take great personal pride in their work and accomplishments._

_Not only are they gifted in music, but also in astonishing dancing and acrobatics that rival the most fantastic circuses in all the land. They are equally incredible fighters and knife-makers, their specialty being hand to hand combat. It is quite impressive to see them training diligently each dawn. They are nimble and surefooted, stealthy and silent. Had they been just another band of common outlaws, Hyrule would undoubtedly be in a state of chaos. But as it is, the Shikara are a very disciplined and mannered people, perhaps due to their standards for upholding ancient traditions and customs, which are often marked by curious ceremonies and rituals. How they came to be such vagrants remains a mystery to anyone outside of their culture._

_Her Majesty, the young newlywed Queen Fenella, is quite taken by the Shikara and would like to see them integrated into Hylian society, though the King does not share her enthusiasm, instead proclaiming that the Shikara are damaging to the kingdom's thriving economy, much like the nameless gypsies that make their yearly rounds through Hyrule. The general populace seems to be unusually welcoming to the Shikara, save for a few merchants who have lost clientele to them, though not enough to be particularly damaging or cause any civil unrest . . ._

(missing page)

_. . . in the year 1182, during which the King tolerated the Shikara only minimally, until it was discovered that the Queen was having an affair with a young man of the tribe. The King called for his immediate arrest and execution, and the result was the sudden disappearance of the Queen, who had presumably eloped with the Shika. Such an act in the Royal Family was unheard of, and in his fury King Ansgar called for the imprisonment of all Shikara, women and children alike._

_The neighboring kingdom of Medyn, Queen Fenella's homeland, announced that it would repossess the great expanse of dowry land that had been annexed to Hyrule if the Queen did not willingly return to her husband in three days. The royal family of Medyn had resentfully given their daughter to King Ansgar as a bride, quite aware that the King's greatest interest was in the fertile land that he was going to gain instead of the young woman he was to marry. Their union seemed doomed from the beginning._

_In his desperation to keep the dowry land for Hyrule, King Ansgar implemented the torture of the Shikara prisoners and made it known to all that if his wife was not returned he would continue to do so. He also bade the people of Hyrule report any Shikara to the authorities, and fueled his people's distrust and hatred by spreading terrible lies and vile propaganda that eventually led to the entire kingdom revolting against the Shikara. It will be a dark day in Hyrule ere the . . ._

(missing page)

_. . . had lost his patience, and began a systematic execution of the prisoners one by one. Queen Fenella was locked away while these acts took place, and finally her lover Iaon surrendered himself on behalf of his people. He was arrested and publicly executed in March._

_With the Shikara clan almost completely destroyed, King Ansgar decided to make use of the few remaining families by using their skills to his advantage, molding them into personal guards of royalty._

_In the foothills below the Mountain of the Gorons and not far from the Royal Yard of Graves, the King commissioned the construction of a small village known as 'Kakariko' where the surviving members of the clan could live, though under the rule of royalty. Their name was changed to 'Sheikah', their native language became second after Hyrulian, and a once proud and free people were reduced to slaves of the aristocracy. It is enough to turn the stomach of any philanthropist. _

_Though their general treatment is by no means cruel or unusual, I was given the privilege of living among them for a short time as part of a plot to observe their behavior on behalf of His Majesty, and I was most distressed by the rules which now govern them. They are not allowed to show their faces to any but the Royal Family, nor are they allowed to venture outside of Kakariko; they are brought food and supplies by soldiers. The gates of the village lock each night and do not open until dawn while a host of sentries stand watch, more to prevent anyone from escaping rather than entering. Any persons caught in the village after curfew are punished, sometimes harshly. _

_Kakariko is a slave camp, and its slaves are treated like livestock. It is appalling that such an intelligent and talented people should be bred like cattle or oxen to produce stronger, hardier offspring. Their rights as humans have been taken away_—_there is no such thing as marriage any longer in Sheikah culture. Children never know their parents, and love has been systematically destroyed. Family is a memory of the past. It is the most dismal, ungodly thing I have ever witnessed._

_Each Sheikah is inspected and examined yearly by the royal doctors, where the healthiest individuals are noted and recorded for possible reproductive purposes later on. Children are given their titles almost at birth, placing them either in servitude of the Royal Family as guardians or in authoritative positions among the village, for it was learnt early on in the days of Kakariko that the Sheikah do not obey the orders of anyone from the court of Hyrule. The Sheikah will abide orders from their elders and their own people, though it took a generation of brain-washing in order to erase their devotion to their own traditions and replace it with that of an almost suicidal loyalty to the Royal Family. _

_Though the Sheikah are too proud to admit how miserable they are, I could see it in their eyes, a sadness that cannot be described with any words of mortal tongue. They changed their clan symbol of a single eye, adding to it a single tear to signify their great suffering. The birth rate in Kakariko began to decline due to reported stillbirths and inexplicable infant death. I later discovered that young Sheikah mothers were smothering their newborns_—_daughters especially_—_at birth. Tiny graves littered the grim yard where the Sheikah buried their dead. Eventually the yard filled and they took to burning the bodies instead, at the request of the royalty. A silent and helpless rage was cultivated; that a mother should be forced to murder her own child is abominable. Many young women, mothers of dead infants especially, slit their own throats to ease their guilt or sorrow, though they were dead long before their blood ran from their bodies. _

_The woe emanating from the village of Kakariko is unimaginable._

_Royal officials assigned to the overseeing of the Sheikah were perplexed by this inexplicable phenomenon, but never discovered the secret. Perhaps the oppressed people that had once been a thriving and prosperous culture felt that they were better off dead than serving the Royal Family. Something about them had died: the light in their crimson eyes had faded, their very spirits were as glass thrown upon rocks, and any man with eyes in his head could understand, by the lack of expression upon their faces, that they silently resented everything that King Ansgar and the Royal Family stood for. _

_But as the old generation of Sheikah slowly gave way to newer, more easily influenced blood, this mindset slowly began to fade, to whose dismay I know not, save for my own and theirs. I leave this document behind with the hope that this unforgivable event might be remembered many years from now, and perhaps some form of amnesty will be granted to those_—_if any remain_—_who have suffered so greatly at the throne of Hyrule._

Amended in 1698 by Sir Gleyv of Brye:

_Royal records indicate that in the year 1203 Clerk Oren Gaothaire was arrested for treason and beheaded. Though the accusation against him pointed to suspicious dealings with the Darsaith1, it can be assumed that King Ansgar had discovered this manuscript and confiscated it, undoubtedly outraged that a member of his court had sided with the Sheikah people. Through pure chance this text was stumbled across, for it had been hidden away in an alcove of the King's royal chambers that one of the maids had come across a few months ago. Being one of the few people still literate in Old Hyrulian, I was given this journal to translate and return, though after learning of such terrible atrocity_—_which, I am sad to say, still continues to this day_—_I am reluctant to return it so readily to the hands of one who had no idea of these crimes, being His Majesty King Ruel III._

_By now it is common knowledge that King Ansgar II went mad in his old age and jumped to his death from the North Tower in the year 1227, leaving the throne to his son Prince Garson. His legacy of hatred for the Sheikah lived on in his son, this much was certain, for the Prince had a terrible temper and an even more beastly appetite for Sheikah women, whom he regularly tortured and abused. It is rumored that he fathered children of Sheikah blood, though it is not noted in any of the Sheikah's birth records. No doubt his progeny conveniently 'disappeared' for the sake of keeping the sanctity of the throne of Hyrule intact. A monstrous idea, but not altogether impossible._

_I have transcribed this journal onto parchment, although I fear I shall carry its memory with me to the grave. I now, for my own safety, shall 'misplace' this book deep within the royal hall of records. If anyone should find it, may you be a man with the power and the heart to bring these forgotten events into light once more, and right the wrongs that were committed to these unfortunate people so long ago._

* * *

The aged, brittle journal slowly slipped from numb fingers and fell to the dank dungeon floor. Sheik sat in silence for hours it seemed, staring at the wall across from him with vacant, empty eyes. He made no shudder or sob, but deep inside him was a bottomless, biting pain that cried and screamed and wept as he could never have done in real life.

Everything he had been taught, everything he had been told by Impa and the Royal Family . . . it was all a lie.

He blinked and a single tear rolled down his cheek, and he brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them, bowing his head and retreating into the darkness of his folded arms. He had been sitting in a cell all along, a metaphorical one, imprisoned by lies and his own ignorance. Everything about his culture, their strengths, their skills, their pride, their devotion, it was a façade to hide the anguish behind their most distinguished traits. They were strong because they had been bred so, they were skilled because they had been brutally taught to be so, they were proud because it was forced upon them, and they were devoted because they had no other choice.

How ironic that the truth of Sheik's ancestors should resurface now, when he himself was a prisoner of royalty's whim. It was unbearable.

Though the young man knew of several ways to kill himself without the aid of weapons, he resisted the urge to give in to his fleeting thoughts of suicide. Leith could not bear this burden alone. Sheik would not allow the blame to fall upon him, _could_ not. It was now his responsibility to see that justice be done. He had been chosen. This had happened because it was meant to happen.

Sheik raised his eyes to an unseen heaven, miles above this dark, hellish pit, and asked for strength to endure what unknown hardships lay before him, for he felt certain that it would get much worse before it got better.

* * *

The roosters of Lon Lon Ranch crowed loudly at first light, heralding the start of a new day. The morning dawned pale with heavy gray clouds moving across the sky, glowing silver around their fluffy edges. The air was clear and crisp, washed clean from the night's rain. It was difficult to tell that there was anything wrong in the world on a morning like this but, as it is often said, appearances can be deceiving.

Even Link seemed to have forgotten the grim events of the previous day as he batted opened his blue eyes and gazed at the wan light peering in between the boards of the wall. He lifted his head from the warm breast upon which it had been laying and murmured softly in his throat as he sat up, the rough blanket falling around his bare waist. He stretched lazily and gazed down at Veil . . . and his heart stopped beating.

Veil was lying motionless, his eyes closed and his tousled hair spread out upon his pillow of hay in black tendrils. If his chest had not been rising and falling with his even breaths, Link would have thought he was dead. But leaning in closer, he saw that Veil—for the first time—was sleeping.

Loathe to disturb his lover's slumber but concerned for him nonetheless, Link gently shook him awake. "Veil," he whispered. "Veil, wake up."

The shadow's gray eyes blinked open slowly and he drew in a long breath, shifting languidly about as he became regained full consciousness. "Mmmf," he muttered drowsily. "What happened to me? Was I killed? Are we in heaven?"

Link couldn't help but to smile and reach out to tame his twin's messy locks. "If heaven is a tool barn, then yes, we're there."

Veil smiled sleepily and sat up, sweeping the hay from his bare skin. "Did I faint?"

"Not quite. You fell asleep," said Link. "Did you have any dreams?"

"Dreams? No . . . at least none that I can recall."

"Well, perhaps you will dream in time. It's already a miracle that you've had your first rest. Maybe now you'll begin to partake of more human activities, eh?"

Veil smiled. "What's the hurry? Do you have an appointment to attend?"

Link reached up and brushed his finger across the shadow's cheek, tracing the curve of his chin and the soft length of his bottom lip. "I love you," he murmured, gazing with deep fondness at Veil's face.

_And I you._

Link broke into a bright grin and chuckled. Veil did likewise, and then there was a great crash from down below. The two sprang together in surprise, sending hay and blanket flying about. "Shit!" Link hissed. "What do we do?"

A female voice called out, "Hallo-oooh? Mister Link? Mister Veil? Are you—oh, well, here are your clothes. You must be somewhere nearby. Mister Liiiinnnk?"

"I'll go see who it is," Veil said, moving toward the opening where the ladder was.

"No! It might be a trap. Where the hell is Nav-"

Suddenly a red headed young woman, accompanied by a bright sparkle of light named Navi, poked her head from the opening and into the loft, startling the two occupants so badly that they went clambering backwards. Link grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his waist, then threw himself in front of Veil so as to cover his immodesty. Veil was innocently clueless.

Navi audibly sighed and glowed pink again.

The girl laid eyes upon the two young men and smiled brightly, the freckles across her cheeks giving her a warm, friendly glow. "Well how'dye!" she greeted cheerfully. "I figured I'd find you up here. Hey, I know you! You're that lad who wandered in here last year and worked for us a couple weeks. Well isn't that something else!"

Link experienced a stupid moment as he tried to recall which of his two lives he had lived that period of time, at last remembering that it had been the one where was a solitary wanderer, traveling Hyrule in search of the meaning of his life. He had come across the ranch and worked for Talon, the owner of Lon Lon, for a short time and then moved on, as he was wont to do. But now with the memories of his quest spinning about in his brain, he felt an almost familial connection to this girl, whose name was Malon.

"Er, yes!" he said as his thoughts caught up with him. "Yes, that's quite a coincidence."

Veil peered out from behind Link with wide eyes. "Are you a real woman?"

"What?" Malon burst into laughter. "But o' course I am! What do I look like, a man?"

"No, certainly not."

"All right," Link huffed, perhaps a bit jealous with Veil's fascination of women. "So you've finally seen one. Moving on to present events . . ."

"I never knew you had a twin brother, Link," Malon said. "Why didn't you tell me?

"Uh. You never asked."

The farm girl looked perplexed for a moment before giggling. "You're a funny one, Link."

Link didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult, so he decided upon the former, smiling nervously and tittering. Thankfully Navi flew in and spared him from crawling deeper into this already awkward situation: "Link, a man came here to see you and Veil just before dawn."

"What?"

Malon explained, "He said he was a messenger of the court of Hyrule, but that he was given orders to sneak out to help you now that you're on the run. He left a lot of stuff with Papa, but Papa said we didn't have any outlaws hiding at our ranch. The man didn't listen and then just left. Everyone here's been looking for you . . . What did you do anyway?"

Link's mouth went dry. "We . . . had a disagreement. We didn't do anything terrible; we're only trying to . . . to-"

"Find a solution to a problem," Veil finished quickly with an innocent smile. "The royal officials can be a little impatient but we insisted upon finding a more convenient method."

"Convenient method of what?" Malon asked.

"Uh."

"It's confidential," said Link with a slow nod. "They asked us not to speak of it."

Navi settled upon Malon's shoulder, brooding to herself. "I'm worried," she said. "How did that man know you were here? How could anyone know you were here?"

Link didn't have to think long before he knew, and he smiled. "Sheik," he said softly. "He would have known we would hide here. He's good about predicting what people do, especially fleeing people."

"Does that mean he's all right?" Veil asked worriedly.

"I don't know. But at least we know he's alive, and has friends on the inside who are willing to help us." Link sighed. "Thank the gods. I thought we'd be facing this dilemma by ourselves."

"Well, you fellows get some clothes on your skins and come on down for breakfast," Malon chirped, descending from the loft. "Papa will be more than happy to help you get back in the saddle again!"

* * *

Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch, was a very kind, generous person. It didn't matter that he was extremely forgetful and easily distracted, or that he was narcoleptic. What mattered most to Link was that he would risk a great deal and go to enormous lengths to help out a friend when he was in need.

When Link and Veil appeared in the main house, dressed in their still damp and wrinkled clothes, the first thing the rotund, mustachioed man did when he saw them was to shout out his greeting of, "G'MORNIN'!" and dash over to give Link a bone-cracking handshake and an equally spine-splitting pat on the back.

"How d'ye, lad! It's a pleasure t' have ye in our company again, ain't it, Mally dear?"

Malon shook her head helplessly and smiled. "It certainly is, Papa."

"Ho ho! And what's this? Yer brother, is he? Well, bless me! The more the merrier! You too, fairy lass! Come in, come in! We've ourselves quite an interesting medley of guests. Ingo, go grab a few more 'a them eggs from the hen house. We're servin' up a storm this mornin', ha ha!"

Despite his accomplishments in sleeping the night before, Veil still did not feel the need to partake of other human activities, such as eating. However, Talon insisted upon piling the eggs, sausages and griddlecakes on Veil's plate until he was nearly peering over a mountain of food, most of which snuck its way onto Link's plate. It didn't take long before the Hylian was stuffed to the brim, and he told Veil to try eating some of his own breakfast. It couldn't possibly hurt him, could it? Of course not.

So Veil picked up his fork and dug in, and though he quite enjoyed the array of new tastes, he wasn't particularly hungry, and had to explain his reasons for eating like a bird to Talon before the jovial man scraped even more food onto his plate: "I, uh. I already ate yesterday, thank you."

Link distracted Talon with conversation while Veil dumped his plate onto Malon's when she wasn't looking, who dumped her plate onto Ingo's when he wasn't looking, who dumped his plate onto Talon's when he wasn't looking, who ate the rest of the breakfast when no one else was looking. It was quite a humorous spectacle to behold.

Once the meal had been concluded, Talon took his guests to the yard where the curious bundles left by the mysterious man were laid out neatly against the horse barn. Link kneeled down and opened them all one by one, and soon he was surrounded by some very familiar and beloved items, such as his fairy bow and quiver of arrows, his longshot, his Hylian shield, two vials of red and green potions, and two changes of clothes along with long cloaks for concealment.

"It looks like fortune is on our side, Veil," he murmured with a smile, then noticed a small leather pouch tucked within the quiver; pulling it out, his heart leapt with joy. It was his ocarina, the one which Saria had given him years ago that he had always carried with him. He was practically in tears, clasping it to his chest as if it were the most priceless jewel in all the world. But to Link, it was far more precious than any gem.

Veil was confused and curious, but he didn't say anything, choosing instead to wait until Link had collected himself and his belongings and thanked Talon for being so gracious.

The man chortled richly, scratching his moustache. "Y' don't plan on carting all o' that stuff on foot, d'ye, lads? Come on, we'll go to the stables and get ye a set of hooves to put beneath ye!"

* * *

It was almost predestined that the horse they should receive was none other that Epona, the strong and sturdy chestnut mare that Link had ridden throughout his quest. Though she didn't recognize her old master, she befriended him as quickly as she had the first time, and Link could have never felt happier to hear her familiar whinny.

Both he and Veil were moved by Talon's overwhelming generosity of lending them the finest horse in Lon Lon, but the jolly man brushed it off. "Ach, ye worked for free all that time. Think of this as a late payment."

They loaded up Epona's saddlebags with their provisions—which weren't much, but enough to last them back to Gil-Nemith—and Link knew that his four-legged companion was more than capable of carrying two riders at a brisk pace. The Hylian experienced a burst of energy, cheerful that things were turning out so well.

Veil had finished making note of their supplies with Navi when he turned to say something to Link, but caught his breath. The sun had broken through an opening in the heavy gray clouds, and for a few seconds, the golden light rained down upon Link's oblivious figure as he was adjusting Epona's bridle. Veil stared in speechless wonder.

When Link had finished with the bridle and the clouds had covered the sun once more, he turned to find Veil staring at him as if entranced. "What?" he said with a slight grin, noting that adoring look in his twin's eyes that normally preceded a breathless, poetic laudation to his immeasurable fairness.

"You look . . ." Veil narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, though he didn't appear troubled. "Different. Well, that is, not so much look any different as you sort of . . . _feel_ different."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with last night, would it?" the Hylian coyly winked.

"No, I . . . yes. Well, I'm not quite sure."

Navi's voice inserted itself into their conversation: "_Speaking_ of which. Link, I hope you're fit to travel. You sounded quite ill last night."

"Ill? I'm perfectly fine."

"Good. Because your moans made it quite impossible for one to get any rest."

The two young men blushed helplessly and shrugged. "I'll be sure to have something stuffed in my mouth next time," Link broke into a laugh as he realized what he had said, and a perfectly rosy Navi flew over and started tugging on strands of his blond hair in mock anger.

"Dirty, dirty!" she cried, flying into his hair like a bee and turning his locks into a tangled mess. "You ought to have your tongue washed and hung out to dry!"

Veil, as usual, watched on with adorable cluelessness. "What? What's so funny?" he kept inquiring with a worried smile.

Link caught his breath after laughing and approached his twin. "Don't worry, 'Brother'," he said, and pressed a short, shallow kiss to Veil's lips. "You'll understand in time."

"And Ket knows how soon _that's_ going to be," Navi teased. "I'm afraid your innocence won't last much longer around this pervert, Veil."

Link chuckled under his breath. "He's lost quite enough of his innocence already."

The dark haired young man gave his head a playful toss and said with a wily grin, "I didn't lose anything I didn't want lost." And he slipped his arm about Link's waist, surprising him with a brief, breathtaking kiss that, while enjoyable, was badly timed.

"I've never seen brothers behave so affectionately," came Malon's voice as she entered the stable barn.

The two quickly separated themselves and tried not to look too guilty and embarrassed, which proved impossible when the red headed girl arched her eyebrow at them suspiciously. Extraordinarily, it was Navi who saved the day: "Oh, it's not affection! It's for medicinal purposes," the fairy said, orbiting Malon's head. "They, ah, have a strange condition that—well, _Veil_ is the one who has the condition—that prevents him from, uh . . ."

"Swallowing properly!" Link jumped in. "Yes, Veil, ah, if he doesn't get his medicine every day his, uh, throat swells up like a sponge. It's a very rare disorder."

"Goodness!" Malon exclaimed. "You poor thing!"

"Yes, I was just, er, giving him his daily medicine. It can only be given orally. Yes. It's really bothersome. We're always afraid of what people think of us, right, Veil?"

The shadow nodded. "Absolutely. It's a terrible disorder to have. Perfectly wretched. But I'm quite all right now. Thank you, Brother."

"No problem, Brother," Link replied.

It wasn't a very convincing display but it seemed good enough for Malon, who showed them across the corral to a gate where they could depart in secret. The forest could be seen not too far off, and was a much better route than going through the wide open expanse of Hyrule Field.

"So where are you off to?" she asked.

"South," Link replied as he climbed into the saddle after Veil. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much more. I'm not being rude, it's just better that you not know in case soldiers come by and question you."

"I understand," she said. "In that case, if you ride left and follow the edge of the forest, you'll be traveling south-southwest. Keep the forest to your right. It makes good cover, and it's a lot safer than riding out in the open."

"Thank you so much, Malon," Veil said from atop Epona. "We don't know what we would have done without the kindness of you and your father."

"Yes, be sure to tell him we said that," Link added.

The girl smiled, her bridge of freckles across her nose arching cutely. "I will. You've a handsome head on your shoulders, Link, so make certain you keep it there. And Veil, I do hope your condition improves. It's a good thing you two have each other to look after."

The shadow blushed at the mention of the farce, but accepted her admonition with a smile and a nod. Navi landed between Epona's ears and exclaimed, "Let's hurry it up! We've a long way to go and much to do!"

With a good-bye and a final wave, Link and Veil rode off toward the forest on Epona until they disappeared over the hilltops.

* * *

They sent for Sheik at dawn, though time could not be determined when one was imprisoned within the subterranean dungeons. But Sheik, ever adept and perhaps even strangely gifted, knew that it was dawn without having to see the sky or even smell the air.

He had not slept at all the entire night, his mind too troubled to rest. Images of slaughter, ruin and oppression haunted him each time he closed his eyes, and he began to wonder as the hours ticked by if he was ever going to be able to sleep again.

For perhaps the first time, he felt alone. He wished that someone else had been down there in the dungeons with him, even if it was another criminal in the next cell, for at least that was _someone_, another human being. Pain was much harder to endure when one was alone. Perhaps the only benefit of being by himself was the fact that no one could hear him as he cried. And Sheik, going against the customs of his callous people, had cried for a very long time.

The night had been long, lonely and rough; when the guard sent to fetch him first opened the iron door and saw him, he almost recoiled. To say that Sheik looked terrible would be mincing words, for it's hard to measure the look on a person's face whose entire life had fallen out from beneath him, and that's what Sheik looked like—a man who had lost nearly everything.

"Get up," the guard said gruffly. "You've been called before the Royal Council."

He did not move. He didn't even blink.

"Are you deaf?" the sentry repeated. "Get up! They don't like to be kept waiting."

"I heard you the first time," Sheik uttered in a hoarse voice, slowly rising from the floor. He hoped that the leather journal concealed beneath his tight blue uniform would remain unnoticed.

The guard took him tightly by the arm and jerked him down the corridor, noting with a snide tone in his voice, "So you're a Sheikah, eh?"

"What gave it away? The outfit, perhaps?" Sheik muttered.

"Cheeky little brat." The sentry smiled lecherously. "You don't _look_ like a Sheikah, not with all that pretty yellow hair."

Sheik wrenched his arm free when he felt the guard's gloved fingers sift through his blond locks. "Get your hands off of me!" he cried indignantly, cheeks coloring to an angry shade of red. "I know the way myself. I don't need you."

"I was ordered to _escort_ you, in case you should get any smart ideas," the guard snarled, taking Sheik by the arm more firmly this time. "So shut your mouth and perhaps nothing will happen on the way there."

Sheik scowled visibly but allowed himself to be manhandled down the corridor and up the winding dungeon stairs. Though he was more than capable of rendering the revolting sentry dead or in serious pain with almost no effort, he knew that it would create more problems than solve them, and so he stayed his hand with fraying patience.

He was brought to the Council and Royal Courtroom, a vast chamber with a high, vaulted ceiling. A single row of tall stained-glass windows lined one wall and a long red carpet ran down the length of the polished marble floor. At one end, on a circular dais, were four stone chairs on each side of an ornate throne. Rows of carved benches flanked the red carpet, giving it the appearance of a church rather than a council room. Sheik saw, with a sense of dread, a single wooden chair placed on the carpet before the large throne, looking very small and proletarian when compared to the other chairs before it. It was his seat, and he took it reluctantly and waited for the council members to arrive.

The guard stood by his chair, leering down at Sheik and occasionally toying with the young man's hair. He stopped once a door to the side opened and the council members slowly walked in single file to their chairs. Sheik rose from his seat respectfully and waited.

The Council of Hyrule consisted of nine members: Princess Zelda, of course, who held the final word on any issue; Sage Rauru, who oversaw matters concerning the spiritual sanctity of the kingdom; Lord Chancellor Gildas, a short, squat little man with a sharp nose who presided over the Council; Lord Counselor Mortimus, a tall, thin, dark-haired man who acted as an advisor to the other members of the Council; Lord Chamberlain Leith, responsible for civil matters and secretarial services to Her Royal Highness and to whom you were already introduced; Lord Marshal Fergus, commander of Hyrule's armed forces; and Lord Orin, Steward of Hyrule, who held authority of the departments of the kingdom. The Lords Protector and Provost were absent since this was not a matter concerning diplomatic or foreign policies.

Princess Zelda entered the room last, casting a sideways glance at Sheik before striding gracefully to her throne and standing before it. "May this meeting of the Royal Council of Hyrule now commence," she stated and sat down. The other seven members took their seats after her, along with Sheik. She stared down at the young man and said with a sympathetic smile, "How are you, Ilya?"

"I have endured worse conditions, your Highness," he replied with a bitter, sardonic smile. "You'll have to excuse my appearance, my lords. I had something of a fitful night."

"Mind your temper, Sheikah," warned Lord Orin.

"It is all right, Steward," Zelda interrupted. "Let him speak as he pleases."

Leith cast a look down at Sheik that was filled with parental worry, but the young man nodded very slightly to indicate that he was all right.

Chancellor Gildas cleared his throat, stood, produced a scroll of parchment and read in a loud, abrasive voice that echoed sharply in the large room: "Ilya of the Sheikah, Personal Guardian of the Royal Family of Hyrule, you are being charged with insubordination, defiant acts of rebellion against your superiors, obstructing the process of the law, and treasonous behavior. Though these offences are more than sufficient to sentence you to death or the dungeons, Her Highness has expressed extraordinary leniency towards you and feels that your argument should be expressed among the members of the Royal Council."

Sheik could not keep the contempt out of his voice: "Her Highness is ever so _gracious_."

"Impudence," Sage Rauru muttered to the other council members. "He ought to be punished for his words alone."

"For the gods know my people have not been punished enough already," Sheik said loudly, creating a stir amongst the council.

"Gentlemen, please! Keep the order," Zelda chided regally, then gazed down at the Sheikah. "Of what punishment do you speak, Ilya?"

"The time will come when I speak of it, but it is not this time; I am here to explain to you why I revolted against your poorly-considered and hasty attempt on the life of one Veil of Hylia, a man who was once the shadow of the Hero of Time."

And he told the council in great detail of their entire adventure from the very beginning, sparing nothing that seemed trivial, save for a few intimate instances that were hardly worth mentioning. He told them of Veil, his kindness and innocence, his gentle nature and loving devotion to his master. He told them of Link, who at first refused to look past the mist that shaded his eyes and prevented him from seeing that everything which had once been evil about his shadow was no longer there, replaced instead with character even more tender and compassionate than Link himself was.

He told the of druid Falavus Talrhos, the Lady of Gil-Nemith who had helped them to understand that Veil was more than a mere shadow, that he was a part of Link's soul from whom he could not be separated. He told of their battle with the Siridu and Veil's heroic acts to save his master, his bravery, and his loyalty to his friends. He even spoke haltingly of Veil's helpless, passionate love for Link, and at what lengths he would suffer for his sake, sacrificing everything for him in the name of love.

The council listened to Sheik's story patiently with furrowed brows and looks of amazement. At last he came upon the final words, which explained the reasons for his actions: "We were instructed by Falavus not to do anything impulsive, for it may have dire and dangerous effects on Link or even the world itself. This is a situation that must be handled from a level-headed and objective standpoint, my lords, and I know for a fact that Lady Falavus is both. I understand your urgency but you have got to place your faith in Link once more. He cannot save Hyrule again if he does not have it."

"And what exactly is Link's plan?" came the deep voice of Counselor Mortimus, who had been listening to Sheik's story with a particularly disturbed look on his thin face.

"I. I don't know," Sheik lied, not foolish enough to tell them where Link and Veil were headed. "But he will find out how to save both Hyrule and himself. He has done it before, and he can surely do it again."

Mortimus smiled in a way that made Sheik's skin crawl—he did not like that man at all. "And why should we place our trust so blindly in the hands of a druid hag, the last of a clan of cowards who abandoned Hyrule when it was plagued by the dark powers of the Darsaith?"

The word rang in Sheik's memory as he recalled the words from the journal, hidden close to his pounding heart: _Clerk Oren Gaothaire was arrested for treason and beheaded. Though the accusation against him pointed to suspicious dealings with the Darsaith, it can be assumed that King Ansgar had discovered this manuscript . . ._

The tall man in black looked amused. "You do not know of the Darsaith? Well, I suppose the Sheikah cannot be entirely blamed for the ignorance of their children." A few of the council members chuckled. Leith looked furious. "I will enlighten you, dear Ilya."

To hear his true name come from the tongue of that man was enough to make Sheik shudder.

"The druids were a clan of moor-dwelling simpletons several hundred years ago," said Mortimus. "The royal families of Hyrule were good enough to look out for them, for they kept a protective barrier surrounding the land which prevented evil from entering. It was a pity they were so weak, for one day the barrier was broken, and seven dark mages known as the Darsaith descended upon Hyrule and its people, wreaking havoc across the land and killing hundreds of innocents. The king of Hyrule begged for help from the druids but, like the spineless cravens they were, they had fled into the Lost Wood where no mortal dared to enter.

"And so the king turned to the Sages," Mortimus gave a courteous nod toward Rauru, who lifted his chin proudly, "who were able to send the Darsaith fleeing for their lives. Some claim that their work is still afoot, but those are only fairy tales invented to keep children well behaved. Everyone knows that the Darsaith faded from existence long ago, much like the druids who never dared to show their face in Hyrule again."

The man in black scowled terribly. "How unfortunate to learn that a single druid still remains. May her remaining days upon this earth be cursed for her betrayal."

Several council members nodded in agreement. Sheik was in open-mouthed shock. "No, you're wrong! Lady Falavus is a wise, noble and-"

"Your Lady Falavus is a fraud," Sage Rauru snapped. "She is a coward and a traitor like the rest of her people. No doubt she is using your trust to help bring ruin to Hyrule and this whole earth!"

Chancellor Gildas concurred with the Sage. "And for this reason, we ask that the number of troops in search of the two outlaws be increased and a reward offered for their live capture."

Marshal Fergus, a muscular wall of a man, nodded smartly. "It can be done, Chancellor. I can send word to General Keir immediately."

"And does Counselor Mortimus agree?" Gildas asked.

The dark haired man all but smirked. "I couldn't agree with you more."

Leith was about to jump in with an objection, but the Chancellor proclaimed before he had a chance to speak: "Your Highness, it is after great care and deliberation that we have requested the hunt for Link of Hyrule and this _Veil_ of Hylia continue until they are found and brought to justice, upon which we shall meet again to decide their fate. What is Her Highness' verdict on this matter?"

Zelda stared down at Sheik who was desperately shaking his head, the horror already ripe in his expression. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "In the best interest of Hyrule, I cannot allow Link to waste precious time searching for an alternative means of preserving his shadow when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The search will continue-"

Sheik jumped from his chair and shouted, "If you kill Veil it will destroy Link forever! Is that the way you repay the one who has save Hyrule and _ yourself_ so many times in the past!"

The guard seized Sheik but the overwrought young man could not be restrained. He screamed, kicking and punching in reckless anger that was unlike him as the council stood to its feet and began arguing amongst themselves.

"Think of Link for once, Zelda!" he cried. "Think of the pain and torture he has endured for you! Can you not find it in your heart to put your faith in him once more? Or has he only been a pawn to you, an expendable player that you have mercilessly used and would offer up as a sacrifice without so much as a backward glance? Link would have fought to help save _your_ loved one, Princess! He would have fought to his death!"

"Get him out of here," muttered Mortimus to the Marshal, who whistled sharply and called a host of sentries into the council chamber to haul the fighting young Sheikah away. As he was overpowered and dragged away down the red carpet, Sheik looked over his shoulder and screamed, "Remember that, Princess! Link has died for you!"

As the heavy wooden doors slammed shut behind him and his shouts faded down the corridor, the young Princess sighed. Placing a hand upon her brow, she held her breath and kept her tears from falling.

* * *

1 Darsaith; from the Welsh "dar" meaning dark, and the Celtic "saith" meaning "seven".


	21. Awakenings

"-actually think you were trying to prove something by erupting like that in front of the Royal Council? What is the _matter_ with you, Ilya? Have you suddenly gone out of your mind? What kind of an example are you setting for those who will come after you? Don't forget: you are a representative of the Sheikah; when you do something wrong, it reflects upon all of us! You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Your behavior was _totally_ unacceptable, by both Sheikah standards and the code of ethics set by the Royal Family. I have a mind to drag you down to the council chamber like an unruly child and allow you to bow before those who have expressed such patience for your intolerable insolence!"

Sheik listened mutely to Impa as she energetically blessed him out while he sat, arms crossed over his chest like a moody teenager and his head turned to the side. He had never seen or heard her so angry before, and if he had not been accustomed to her presence she probably would have frightened the life out of him at this moment. She was a formidable looking woman as it was, but when her temper was loosed it was enough to put fear into the hearts of demons.

Sheik knew his chances of getting a word in edgewise were nil, so he waited until this verbal lashing had been played out in its totality before attempting to defend himself.

"-and _furthermore_," Impa said in a tone that signaled the conclusion of her lecture, "you have demonstrated a complete disobedience to orders set by both the Sages and Her Highness, taking off for several days without sending word to anyone and wasting precious time! Do you realize that by doing this and allowing those two to escape you have drastically thinned the chances of us ever seeing a day beyond Ganondorf's defeat?" Impa shook her head sadly. "I never thought I would say this to any of my people, but you are a _disgrace_, Ilya. You have brought shame and dishonor to the name of Sheikah."

"It would not matter then, since it is not our true name," Sheik muttered. "I bring shame and dishonor to the slaves of royalty, not the Shikara."

Impa's expression fell, her anger dissipating as quickly as darkness before a flame. "Who told you that?" she murmured quietly.

"No one," Sheik replied. "I found out for myself." He paused, glaring at Impa hurtfully. "You _knew_ of our past, didn't you? You knew of the crimes committed against our people. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you do something? Why did you remain silent? How can you sleep knowing that you are the result of centuries of documented breeding? How can you be so content to dutifully serve those who have given you no choice _but_ to serve them? Do your people matter that little to you now?"

"Ilya," the Sheikah woman said softly. "Those events took place long, long ago. They do not concern you now-"

"Not concern me?Impa! They took our people and _ butchered_ them! They imprisoned them as if they were criminals! They bred us like beasts to serve them, and to this day we have seen no change in their ways. I refuse to allow myself to be bound to the lives of those who have destroyed the culture of our entire people. To continue to live as their personal servants is a thousand times more disgraceful and humiliating than any act of defiance I could have possibly committed-"

"Calm yourself!" Impa ordered. "There is no need to stir up the past when it has already settled."

"Settled?" Sheik spat. "Nothing has _settled_, Impa. It's just been forgotten. This matter was never resolved. It was never brought to light. Don't tell me that it has been _settled_."

The Sheikah woman scowled. "You never had a problem serving the Royal Family before—why does it bother you now? Do you live in the past, Ilya? Have you forgotten about the present, or the future if there even _is_ one?"

"I am changed," the young man said firmly, "because now I know the truth. All along I felt in a small corner of my heart that something was not right in the make-believe tales of our forefathers. And now I know that my feelings proved to be correct. How can I forgive my superiors for these crimes against us, when they have not even offered so much as a sniff of an apology, when they have chosen to hide it and hope that it is forgotten? They have the audacity to believe that the Shikara are so ignorant that they would forget the pain and the heartache of centuries past."

Sheik reached up and placed a hand upon his chest, over the concealed journal and in the center of the weeping-eye emblem of his people. He bowed his head for a moment, then looked up at Impa who was standing across the way.

"Now I know why this symbol is called the Eye of Truth. For hundreds of years the Shikara have hoped that their children and their children's children would search for and find the truth behind their 'missing' past, and perhaps do something to set the wrong things right. And I have no doubt in my heart that I am the one chosen to do this."

"You talk of heresy," Impa uttered in a hushed whisper. "How can you feel the need to so boldly betray those who have looked after you your entire life and kept you?"

"A farmer shall keep and look after his livestock, treat them well, care for them, keep them warm . . . but in the end he will take them to the slaughterhouse and smash their skulls without a second thought." Sheik's voice fell to a low hiss. "I once saw a man in Kakariko take a chicken in his hands and slowly, one by one, pluck each feather from its body. It fluttered and squawked and beat its wings, but the man continued until no feathers remained. Finally he set the chicken down, and it fled; but he held out a handful of corn to it, and the chicken came back to him and ate from his hand."

Sheik stood from his chair and began to pace. "No matter how brutal our masters treat us, we still feed from their hands, deluded by the idea that they did not just strip us of our clothes and leave us bare and naked in the wind. We are their mindless fowls, Impa. You see honor in serving them, but I do not. I never did. I never wished to serve them at all."

"Then what _do_ you wish?" the Sheikah woman demanded.

"I wish to be among my _people_, helping them reclaim what royalty has stolen from them long ago!" the young man cried. "I wish to take them far away from here, someplace where we can live our lives in freedom again and rebuild our lost culture. I loathe being the lapdog to a powerless monarch who allows herself to be so easily manipulated by those around her. _Zelda_ is not the ruler of Hyrule; she is merely an aesthetic symbol of the days of yore. Those who stand in the shadows behind her are the ones with all the power, and they are corrupted, all of them! The Sages, the Council, everyone has a plan to follow, and I utterly _refuse_ to stand aside and watch that silly little girl sign away the entire country into the hands of nefarious politicians!"

"Lower your voice, Ilya!" Impa begged. "These are words of madness!"

"And what is madness? Something we have been taught to believe in? Taught by the very powers that oversee us? No! It is not madness! It is the _truth_ being brought to light, and everyone bound by the shackles of royalty thinks it is madness!"

Impa stepped forward and placed her hands upon the young man's shoulders, calming his fury-driven trembling. Crimson eyes gazed at each other, two shades of red separated by their beliefs. The woman sighed heavily and offered up a slight smile, reaching over to tuck a stray tendril of Sheik's pale blond hair that had flown loose during his argument back behind his ear.

"You are not like us, Ilya," she said softly, "otherwise you would have seen the futility in trying to fight against them. Though you are a Sheikah by birth, some part of you still burns with the fire that once died out in our people's spirits long ago. You have strength in you that none of our people have shown, unprecedented courage, unnatural wisdom . . ."

"Good breeding, perhaps," Sheik muttered darkly.

"No, Ilya. Those are traits that cannot be passed down through flesh: strength of the spirit, courage of the heart, wisdom of one whose mind is unpolluted by the malignant politics of others. But Ilya, if you continue to revoke the wishes of our superiors, I fear that these gifts will be silenced by the guillotine. I could not bear to see such a thing."

"Then join me," Sheik uttered. "If the Sheikah unite under this single cause, we might have a chance of establishing our independence again!"

"I cannot," Impa said. "I am a _Sage_, Ilya. I am bound to the throne of Hyrule. I cannot simply leave whenever I please. I have responsibility. I am afraid I cannot help you. I'm sorry."

Sheik shut his lips and stared hurtfully at the Shadow Sage, until she was forced to look away, unable to bear the torment of the young man's expression of confusion and betrayal.

"I must go," she said at last, turning to leave the room. "Rauru has called the other Sages to a meeting in order to-" Pause. "To discuss the matters at hand. Try to rest, Ilya. You have endured much hardship."

"It is not nearly enough to atone for what has already been served to my forbears," he muttered under his breath.

Impa departed with a regretful look, leaving the broad wooden doors of the royal parlor slightly ajar. Sheik sighed heavily and collapsed in the chair at the long polished table and ran his hands through his dirty, tangled hair. Impa was right. He was exhausted. All the traveling and the worrying and the fighting against the unmovable mountains of the monarchy had left him at the end of his ropes, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

At least the Council hadn't sentenced him to death. Of course, he could think of a lot of things worse than death right now, such as grounding him to the palace for Din only knows how long, a punishment that he was currently serving. Unable to leave the castle grounds unescorted was his verdict, reinforced by the threat of severe bodily injury if he were to disobey. Sheik felt as if he were chained to the mast of a sinking ship, being dragged to hell below the waves with the rest of the corrupted men.

Hands suddenly rested upon his shoulders—cold, hard hands—and he started slightly, having heard no one approach from behind. A deep and familiar voice, soaked with sarcasm and mockery, said from somewhere above: "Dear little Ilya, have your mutinous attempts left you weary? You poor, sweet, unfortunate child."

Counselor Mortimus.

Sheik was about to launch himself out of his chair but the hands on his shoulders kept him seated. "You are a despicable man," he muttered brazenly, though his heart was pounding with fear from being caught with his guard down.

"Now, now," the counselor tsked, "what kind of an example are you setting for those who will come after you?"

Sheik felt his insides freeze over, taking his breath away when he heard the phrase repeated. But somehow, despite the dread and fear coursing through his body, a small part of him that could never be touched by the wintry malevolence of the fallen raised its voice, and Sheik managed to utter: "You mean the next generation of royal slaves? Monstrous. If I could have it my way, there will be _none_ who come after me."

"That is well," said the counselor, leaning down to whisper in Sheik's ear, "because I intend to keep it so."

This time Sheik was able to spring to his feet and whip around to face Mortimus, who was smirking in amusement but making no threatening advances. Sheik wished he had his knives with him. Royal Counselor or not, the man would look far better with a few blades lodged in his skull.

At least that was Sheik's sentiment toward him, the tall, thin, black-haired man whom had been a shadowy presence in the palace for as long as the he could remember. There were few things that frightened Sheik, even as a small boy, but the counselor's presence had always made him uneasy. Mortimus was unnaturally pale and ugly. His nose was a misshapen, pointed beak that was too large for his face, and his scaly skin had a yellowy tint to it that made him resemble a corpse. He had dark eyes set into greenish-purple hollows, so dark that the pupils could not even be seen. Always they seemed to be watching, staring, observing with a predator's hungry glare, and they were like bottomless holes that sucked in any person who became locked by his gaze. Children were terrified of him. Even adults were made anxious when he walked into the room, as smoothly and silently as a noxious cloud of poison.

Sheik had done his best to avoid the counselor, but there were times that even a Sheikah's skills could not conceal him from Mortimus' awareness.

"What do you want?" he demanded. "Why have you come here?"

The man extended his arm and said darkly, "Hand it over."

Sheik took a step back and bumped into the table; he gripped the edge tightly. "Hand what over?"

"Don't feign stupidity with me, boy! Give me the journal."

The thin leather text beneath Sheik's uniform burned against his skin, as if the mere mention of it were causing its pages to ignite. He shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I carry nothing." He held his arms open with the hopes that perhaps Mortimus would believe him. But as Sheik feared, he did not.

The counselor lowered his arm. "Very well," he said lowly. "If you will not give it to me willingly then I shall simply be forced to take it from you."

With inhuman swiftness Mortimus lunged forward, caught Sheik by the shoulders and slammed him down onto the table. Sheik's head collided with the wood and for a few moments he was blinded by white pain. His spine ached as he was bent backwards, lying halfway on the table. When his vision returned, he looked above him to see the most frightening and repulsive grin crawl its way onto Mortimus' thin lips.

One hand seized Sheik's throat tightly and the frantic young man scrabbled at it helplessly, unable to breathe. Using his free hand, Mortimus grabbed the front of Sheik's uniform and ripped it open, exposing his bare chest and the journal that was lying upon it. He snatched it up and released Sheik's throat, thumbing through the book as calmly as if nothing had happened at all.

Sheik sucked in a breath of air and placed a hand to his throat, knowing that it would be bruised in a few hours. "You b-bastard," he croaked in a raw voice.

Mortimus ignored him as if he were not even worth a glance. "As I thought," the counselor sighed in only a vaguely annoyed tone. "Knowledge is indeed power. Ignorance is the most successful way of controlling people, and when that method is challenged it leads to rebellion and anarchy."

"Anarchy is what _you_ are attempting to establish," Sheik spat, still rubbing his throat. "You've been corrupting the throne of Hyrule for years, and now you're out to usurp it."

"Prove it," Mortimus muttered ominously. "Just _try_, little Sheikah. No one will believe you."

"I will _make_ them believe!"

"If you can, I commend you," the counselor said, "for diplomacy is difficult to achieve from a prison cell."

He gestured to someone behind Sheik's back, and two armed guards appeared and snatched a hold of him tightly. Sheik bucked and surged wildly to free himself, and had partially succeeded when suddenly he was struck across the face by Mortimus. The cut on Sheik's bottom lip was reopened with an intense stinging, and blood trickled down his chin. While he was momentarily stunned by the unplanned blow, the guards regained their grip on him, wrenching his arms painfully until the young man was rendered immobile.

The counselor took Sheik by his blond hair and jerked it so that he was forced to look into those black, angry eyes. "Ilya of the Sheikah Clan," he narrated, "was officially released from his duties to the Royal Family in the year 2288. He returned to Kakariko for a few weeks before setting off in search of justice for a crime that was never committed. He vanished from the land of Hyrule and was never seen again." Mortimus paused, smiling triumphantly. "I will be certain that the books reflect that, such as it is. Though it certainly is a shame that you never bothered to bid farewell to your friends. It was as if you had almost been—dare I say it? Erased from history."

The rage and horror that rushed through Sheik overwhelmed him, and in his fury, he spat droplets of blood into the counselor's face. "Burn in hell," he growled, tugging defiantly in his captors' hold.

Mortimus calmly released Sheik's hair and wiped the spattering of blood from his face with his sleeve. "We will all burn someday," he said, "every last one of us. And nothing shall remain but the ashes and a long-dead memory." With those words, he held the journal out at arm's length, and with a sudden crackle, it burst into flames.

Panic seized Sheik, and he leapt and kicked strenuously to break free, shouting as loudly as he could with his bruised throat, which sadly was not loud enough to be heard. He could only watch as the small book that held the last evidence of his people's torture was reduced to black ash in a matter of seconds.

The counselor nonchalantly dumped the ashes onto the floor and wiped his hands. "A sad end to a sad story," was his epitaph.

Sheik's mind seemed suddenly lost, bits and pieces of memories flying past his consciousness like a flock of birds. But why then did his thoughts focus upon Navi's voice? Of all things, he recollected the fairy's words and slowly formed the scene from his memory: when Link had summoned Din's Flame by accident with Veil's aid, and then forgotten how he had done it.

_"It shouldn't have worked without the spoken summon," _Navi's voice was saying._ "Calling upon magic requires at least an incantation or symbolic gesture, unless of course, you happen to be a wizard . . . "_

_"Could Link have that kind of power, Navi?" _Sheik heard his own voice ask.

_"No, no he should not. Only the most powerful sorcerers can summon magic by thought alone."_

Sheik's mouth fell ajar, and for the first time he willingly stared Counselor Mortimus in the eyes. "You . . ." he murmured. "You're one of _them_. You're one of the Darsaith!"

Mortimus grinned. "He receives the answer at last. Honestly, you Sheikah are so woefully imperceptive of the obvious, and what little you can manage to comprehend is but the tip of the iceberg. What a pity that that information and your people's history will die with you in the dungeons, Ilya. You would have been perfect . . ." He trailed off and turned his back. "Take him away."

And stunned beyond all reaction, Sheik was dragged from the room.

* * *

Link and Veil trotted Epona at a brisk pace, talking sparingly and keeping the forest always to their right as they traveled south. They rode all day and did not stop until darkness had settled and the pale crescent of the moon began to ascend from behind the far distant mountains. It was unseasonably cold that night, and Link was grateful for the long cloak he was wearing, and the fact that Veil's warm body behind him never seemed to catch a chill.

Dark clouds slowly drew in from the west and shrouded the light of the moon until it was almost pitch black, and the cold wind that had been sweeping across the hills grew stronger and frostier. Link shivered and Veil, with his owlish ability, could see his master's breath forming a small cloud each time he exhaled. He opened his cloak and wrapped it around the Hylian, embracing him tightly to keep him warm.

Navi fretted, gyrating in the air about the two riders. "Link, we must stop. Epona cannot see in this darkness."

"Couldn't we light a lantern?" Veil asked.

"If we wanted to be c-caught," Link said. "No, we can't risk it."

The shadow mused. "What if I led Epona on foot? I can see well enough."

"And l-leave me up here to freeze?" Link said half-jokingly. "These cloaks aren't very warm, m-mind you. They were intended to conceal, not to k-keep out the cold."

"You can walk beside me. I'll hold you."

"I d-don't think I could walk all night long, Veil," Link admitted. "If the cold doesn't f-fell me, the lack of rest will. I feel s-so tired already."

"Is it your soul? Should I hold your hand?"

"No, it's n-not that. This is old fashioned tiredness. I would sleep in the saddle if I knew I wouldn't be f-frozen to it in the morning."

"All right then. We'll stop," agreed Veil.

"But we _must_ leave at first light," said Navi. "I'm sure that by tomorrow word will have gotten all over Hyrule, and we're going to have every reeve, soldier and bounty hunter on our tails all the way to Gil-Nemith."

* * *

A few yards from the forest's edge they made what was barely considered camp by even castaways' standards, and Navi informed them that she would be keeping a sharp lookout at the tree line in case any enemies showed up. At least the forest offered some protection and cover and, after hitching Epona to a tree, Veil and Link made themselves as comfortable as they possibly could on the cold, damp, hard ground, which wasn't very comfortable at all. Their cloaks weren't water resistant, so the wetness seeped into their clothes and made them clammy and the cold air made it even worse, not to mention that the trees were rather close together and the ground was uneven with all the roots coiling up from it.

Link sighed forcefully for the umpteenth time and rolled over again. Underneath the small blanket they were sharing, Veil lay on his back with his hands beneath his head, untouched by the cold and discomfort and feeling badly for his partner, who unfortunately felt all of it. When Link began fidgeting again after a few moments, Veil finally sat up, grabbed Link by the waist, and rolled him over so that the Hylian—looking rather surprised—was now face to face with him, lying squarely on top.

"There," Veil said with satisfaction as he locked his hands behind his head again. "That ought to stop your wiggling." He smiled lazily, and Link's eyes grew soft.

"You make a rather nice mattress," Link murmured with a grin, and leaned down to press a kiss of gratitude to Veil's lips. It swiftly and unexpectedly grew deeper as The Feeling established itself through their contact and began to work its magic, which, while something of a miracle, wasn't exactly placed at the best time or location. Link and Veil knew that they could not possibly hope to recreate the scene they had shared last night, not with their boots and clothes on, and while they had to be ready at any moment for an ambush by crazed mercenaries, and in such an uncomfortable position on such an uncomfortable surface.

But instinct had shown humans the way for centuries, and so it would show Veil and Link this primal night when all of Man's modern luxuries were forgotten.

The shadow unlatched his hands from behind his head. His right brushed back the golden hair that was tickling his face while his left went under the blanket and found its way beneath Link's tunic, and to the bare skin of the small of his back.

Link broke their kiss to moan softly as he felt his immortal soul flare up like a spark to oil, igniting a burning desire deep within him that sent all sensations of cold fleeing from his body. "Oh Veil," he whispered throatily, blind in the darkness of the night but seeing with his heart as clearly as in daylight. "Veil . . ."

The dark haired young man pulled Link down into another kiss, and beneath the blanket they lay, warmed by each other's presence. They nuzzled and held one another, and for a little while the discomfort of their surroundings faded as they ascended into a world that was all their own.

Link reached down with one hand and untied the leather cords on the front of his fitted pants, freeing his aching length from its painful confinement. He repeated these actions with Veil's pants, and soon the heated, bare flesh of their arousals was rubbing against one another. Link pressed himself close to his lover, slowly grinding his hips against Veil's and causing him to gasp intermittently.

It may not have been as ultimate as actual intercourse, but it still felt incredible and consummated their love all the same.

Afterward, with the hard ground, cold weather and damp environment forgotten, Link placed a small kiss to his twin's scar then tucked his head beneath Veil's chin, closing his eyes. The shadow, still somewhat senseless from the effects of passionate release, had barely managed to catch his breath before his lids began to droop over his blue-gray eyes, and he fell into a peaceful slumber with his hand still resting warmly upon Link's back.

* * *

Morning came all too soon, it seemed. Navi returned from her watch at the first bleak signs of dawn and sighed heavily when she saw Link and Veil snuggled so warmly together beneath the blanket. As much as she disliked having to disturb them, they had to get moving. Hoping that perhaps Veil's morning disposition was better than Link's, Navi flew down and called softly into the shadow's ear: "Rise rise, Sleepy! Morning is here!"

Veil murmured and blinked himself awake. "Mm. I'm risen."

"Good. Wake Link while I check on Epona, won't you?"

"Right. M'onnit."

The fairy fluttered off. Veil shifted slowly and rubbed his eyes, then paused as he heard the crackling. Looking down he saw that the blanket—and everything else, in fact—was covered in a thin sheet of icy crystals.

"What on earth?" he whispered to himself, having never seen frost before.

Link's sleeping head was still lying upon Veil's chest, his pale yellow hair practically sparkling with a carpet of ice granules. His breath came in small clouds as he sighed, his cheeks and the tips of his long, pointed ears rosy and warm, and to Veil he looked more handsome than ever.

"Link," he murmured gently, propping himself up on his elbows. "Wake up, Link. Navi says it's time to go."

"Nnhhh," the Hylian groaned, nestling more tightly against his companion.

Veil smiled despite himself and shook his head. Navi was right—he _was_ a reluctant waker. "Come along, Beautiful," he coaxed. "Time to get moving."

Link groaned again in dismay but nevertheless raised his head and opened his eyes.

Veil caught his breath. "Link," he uttered. "Are you all right?"

"Wanna go back t' sleep but yeah, m'fine. Why d'you ask?"

"Your eyes," said the shadow. "They're so pale."

"Prob'ly the light," Link said, sitting up and shaking the frost from his body.

"It's not just that," said Veil. "It's your hair, too. It's gotten paler."

"You're just seeing things, Veil," the Hylian smiled and yawned. "Anyway, I feel fine. Never better." He leaned down and kissed Veil's cheek. "Come on, let's get out of here before the rest of the world catches up to us."

* * *

This had been, undoubtedly, the worst three consecutive days of Sheik's life. First he had been thrown in prison and declared a rebel simply for helping his friends, then tried by the Royal Council for crimes he had no idea he had committed, then been verbally beaten to a pulp by Impa, then doomed by Mortimus to spend the rest of his life rotting in a dungeon. Sheik only kept a mental track of the worst days of his life (thus far) in order to serve as a catalyst for him to become stronger in all aspects, but _this_ was utterly ridiculous, not to mention disheartening.

Sheik could still recall the worst single day of his life though, which happened to have been the day that King Zurden, the father of Zelda and the former monarch of Hyrule, had died after months of suffering from an illness that had kept him confined to his bedchamber. Though Sheik was only a young boy when it had happened, he remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday. He had actually cried then, for the King had been a kind, warm and loving man whom was always pleasant to Sheik. The boy had actually spent very much time with Zurden, who never declined his company and always seemed happy to see him.

Sheik had not shed a single tear when his mother had died and he was sent to live out the rest of his days in Castle Hyrule (which had been the second single-most worst day of his life), yet he forgot his training and sobbed his heart out when the King had passed away. Sheik had never known his father, and so Zurden had been the closest thing to a parent figure that he had ever had.

It was Leith who had found the Sheikah crying in the rosebushes of the royal gardens that dark afternoon, and was perplexed at witnessing emotions which the Sheikah were never seen expressing. His heart went out to the lad, and from that time forward Leith had looked after Sheik from a distance, and as the years wore on he began to think of him more often as his own flesh and blood.

Which is why when the chamberlain overheard the announcement that afternoon that Ilya the Sheikah had returned to Kakariko, he immediately felt in his heart that it was a lie, and that his foster child was in danger. Leith begged his leave of the Royal Council and went to his chamber, gathered up his rapier and scabbard, and pointed himself in the direction of the dungeons, not the common cells where enemies of royalty were imprisoned, but the dungeons that were hidden from anyone outside of the Royal Family—the private bastilles of the west tower reserved for those whose days had been numbered and their fates decided. Though the west tower dungeons hadn't been used in at least two hundred years, Leith knew that that was a good place to begin looking for Sheik, and he was prepared to accept the consequences for his disobedience.

He was not, however, prepared to accidentally encounter a secret meeting between two well known members of the Royal Council en route.

* * *

Link, Veil and Navi had journeyed past the mouth of massive stone that led to Lake Hylia earlier that morning; now the forest that had been to their right was replaced by canyon wall. It made them all a little uneasy, knowing that for a short time they would have no place to run or hide if they were attacked.

"Are you worried?" Veil asked softly, though he was fully aware that Link was feeling exactly so.

"Yes," the Hylian admitted, gazing out to the wide open hills at his left.

Navi swooped down and scouted along with him from the top of his head. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

"That it would take longer to ride along the wall than it would to cut across the field?"

"Exactly."

"It's not like we would have anything to lose," Veil agreed from behind Link. "We've already lost our chief means of protection. I'd say were at more risk by dawdling along the perimeter than bolting across the hills."

"We'd have to calculate our direction," Link muttered, "otherwise we could end up missing our mark by a league or two, and we haven't the time to bother retracing our steps."

"Gentlemen, _please_," Navi chided good-naturedly. "Remember that you're traveling with someone with a perfect sense of direction."

"I don't know," the Hylian said airily. "You didn't seem too guided when you went and got yourself lost on the outskirts of Gil-Nemith."

Navi gave his hair a gentle yank or two to show her offense and huffed, "Be quiet! I've never traveled in a forest like that before and besides, it was saturated with magic and spells. Nayru herself would have gotten lost in there."

"All right, all right!" Link laughed. "Have mercy on my hair! I wouldn't want a bald spot."

"I'm more than capable of ripping it right out of its roots, you know."

"Indeed, if one strand at a time."

"Why you-!"

Navi began to rub herself speedily across Link's head, sending his hair flying and tangling every which way when a sharp cry from Veil cut their affectionate horseplay short. The dark haired young man was gazing at the heavy gray clouds hovering above them with wonder in his eyes.

"Something is falling," he uttered. "What is it, Link?"

To his own astonishment, Link answered, "Snow . . . !"

The three travelers stared in awe as tiny white flakes began to drift down from the sky, settling upon the frostbitten grass and frozen clovers. There were only a few at first, but they gradually grew more profuse until curtains of snow were silently fluttering to the earth.

"Snow," Veil repeated, smiling in amazement. "It's beautiful!"

While he reveled in the new weather, Navi flew into the hood of Link's cloak. All precipitation was the same to her, and she was as fond of snow as she was rain. "This is wrong, Link," she muttered. "It shouldn't be snowing at this time of year. It's nearly summer."

"I know," he murmured, gazing up at the clouds. "I think it's a sign."

"A sign of what?" the fairy asked.

He frowned, his pale blue eyes filled with alarm but also determination. "That we have no time to lose." He gathered up the reins. "Which way, Navi?"

"That way," she answered, flying out just far enough to point east-southeast before retreating back to the cover of Link's hood. "It should bring us to the strait of the southern forest. Trust me, my memory is perfect."

"I hope so."

And with a brisk command, Epona whinnied and galloped out across the open field.

* * *

The dungeons of the west tower weren't exactly dungeons, but more of a series of tiny cells spiraling up the length of a long, wide obelisk jutting out from the west wing of the castle. It had the appearance of an angry arrow embedded into the body of a fallen foe, with a black spire of a roof for its feathers.

Each cell along the winding staircase had but one window, a tiny vertical sliver whose only function was to keep enough fresh air in the room so that the prisoners within would not suffocate and save themselves from suffering. It was barely the breadth of one's hand, and even if it could be widened escape was impossible, even with the longest of ropes. At least in the subterranean dungeons one could entertain the hope of digging their way out to the surface, but as for the west tower, unless you had learned how to grow wings and fly by the time you managed to squeeze your way out of the window, chances are certain you would die a horrible, bloody death on the pikes and stones of the thorn-choked courtyard below.

Not that any prisoner had ever succeeded in escaping from the west tower—the windows in the cells were twelve feet from the floor, and the walls were polished smooth so that no footholds or protruding edges remained. It was a hopeless and depressing sight to witness, much less live in.

Sheik, at the highest cell in the entire tower, had assessed the situation only five minutes after the heavy wooden door had slammed shut and locked tight behind him, and judged it to be impossible to escape from, at least using physical force. Already he had spent nearly a day in his new home, but freeing himself was the least of his concerns, for when later an easterly wind blew through the window, it carried with it flakes of snow that drifted down to where the young man sat huddled against the wall.

He looked up in faint wonder and thought to himself that perhaps a higher power had finally taken pity for his plight and sent a snowstorm to freeze him to death before starvation or insanity could claim him. It was not much to lift his spirits, but at least it meant that he would die as painlessly and quickly as he could hope for.

Sheik shivered but remained seated, curling up only as a reflex. Though he knew the best way to stay alive in cold weather was to keep his blood moving, he had given up on life, the fight against the Hyrulian monarchy, even the idea of liberating his people. After all, he was only one man. What could one man possibly do to change history for his people?

If enough snow drifted in, he decided, he would scrape it up and swallow it, cooling his core temperature and speeding up the dying process. It was going to come eventually. No sense in delaying the inevitable. Better sooner than later. Face it with pride and courage, just like he'd been taught. Certainly, most of the teachings of the Sheikah were of how to live, but when a child became an adult, he was told of his most honorable form of service: dying in the name of the Royal Family. Life was harsh, he had been told, and death was merciful. These were the teachings of his people.

Sheik closed his eyes and sighed, his breath clearly visible in the cold light of the late afternoon. So many things left unfinished, so many words left unsaid. He wished he could have seen Link one last time, to have talked to him and told him how much he honored and cared for him. To have said good-bye to Veil and Navi, to have apologized to Impa for upsetting her, to have explained his reasons to Leith, even if they were a lie, to keep his heart from aching and wondering.

Sheik suddenly hated the fact that he loved and cared about so many people, and that so many people loved and cared about him. If only he had followed the rules set by the Sheikah, if only he had been callous and free from virtues like compassion and empathy, it would have made dying so much easier.

Suddenly Sheik heard footsteps from the stairwell outside his prison, along with a pair of loud, boisterous voices. He scrambled to his feet and looked about frantically for a place to hide, thinking that perhaps he could find a way to slip out the unguarded door if only he had someplace to conceal himself. Alas, he did not have enough time to entertain any possible hiding places as the door to his cell was wrenched open.

Two guards stood in the threshold, and Sheik immediately recognized one of them as the man that had "escorted" him to the Royal Council the previous morning. By the grins that stole across their faces, he knew what they had come for.

"Stay ba-" was all he managed to utter before they descended upon him, armor clattering as they struggled to overpower him, and succeeded.

The first guard, his "escort", stood and leered at Sheik while the second guard held his arm twisted behind his back in a delicate and painful position where it could be broken at the slightest whim. The first one leaned down and took the young man by the jaw, rubbing his thumb over the sensitive cut on his bottom lip and opening it wide, causing him to cry out involuntarily as blood began to run down his still-stained chin. Tears of pain and humiliation brimmed in his ruby eyes.

"Well, if it isn't the cheeky little Sheikah brat," the sentry chuckled. "Fancy meeting you up here. Still criminal and pretty as ever, I see."

The second guard cackled in Sheik's ear as the first one casually toyed with the torn front of his uniform.

"We're going to play a game, lad," he said levelly. "It's called Give and Take; you give us what we want, and we take our time in receiving it! Ha ha!"

The two awful men burst into laughter and Sheik felt his cheeks ignite with rage. He jerked forward to aim a kick at the guard, but the one behind him put Sheik in his place with a slight twist that sent shockwaves of agony shooting into his shoulder.

"Augh!" he cried out, and the first guard grabbed him by the hair.

"Hurts, doesn't it? If you're a good lad it'll only hurt a little. If you're bad . . . Well, we have ways of making you wish you were dead. Understand?" He pulled Sheik's hair when he didn't respond and repeated, "_Understand?_"

"Yes! Yes, I understand!" he shouted.

The guard let go and stepped back. "Good. Now be still and I'll be finished with you in a little while-"

"Ey!" exclaimed the second guard indignantly. "I want at 'im first, you pig!"

"Shut your face! I'm having at him first. _I_ filched the keys, _I_ should get the privilege."

"Horse shit! You don't want 'im when he's still dry an' tight. Let me get 'im nice and wet for you."

"I don't want to be fucking his hole with your mess all up in him! Besides, you'll loosen him up, and I like my cunts tight, heh heh!"

Sheik shut his eyes tight and tried to deafen himself to their shamefully crude words. Hopefully he would die after this. Maybe if he were feisty and disagreeable they would kill him and spare him the trouble of waiting to die. If only they would just finish him off so that he didn't have to endure this final torment he would have been satisfied; even if they violated his dead body, at least his soul would be someplace else.

The second guard's voice slapped him back to reality with a comment that made Sheik's blood boil: "I 'aven't had the pleasure of rolling with a Sheikah for a long time. They're all palace whores, even your mum, I bet."

"I've had my share of Sheikah slits," the other boasted. "Fact I wouldn't be surprised if _I_ was your dad!"

"You talk a load of shit, mate! This boy's far too lovely to be a kid 'a yours."

"Shut up, dogface! You're no piece of work, neither!"

"Ah, quit blabbing and prick 'im already. I'm tired of waiting."

"All right, all right! Stop whining!"

As the first guard eagerly set to work removing his armor—gauntlets, pauldrons and breastplate—the second guard grinned and leaned down, running his tongue along Sheik's elegant, pointed ear, murmuring to him in a ugly rasp:

"You're trembling, love. Never taken cock before? I wonder . . ." The man's free hand roamed over Sheik's firm abdomen and made its way down between his legs. "Little Sheikah boys're rare these days. King must've liked you, eh? Keep you all to hisself, did 'e? Or perhaps that old chap who's always following you around? You prob'ly been swiveling on cocks all your life. I bet you like boys, don't you? You seem the type who would."

Sheik silently endured the foul words and filthy caresses of the guard, praying that it would all be over soon. He vaguely wondered if it would hurt badly, if he would bleed. He hoped that if he bled, it would be to death. He knew the chances were ridiculously slim at best, but maybe if he could "accidentally" cut himself on their armor . . .

Suddenly there was a strange sound, and Sheik opened his eyes to see the first guard shaking where he stood, and looking down at the tip of the rapier that had pierced his torso from behind and come through the other side. The man gurgled, and a stream of blood poured from his mouth. The rapier disappeared and the guard toppled over, groaning loudly.

"What the-?" exclaimed the second guard, peering out from behind his victim.

In that moment, Sheik wrenched his arm free from the guard's grip and whipped around, landing a punch so powerful that it broke the disgusting man's nose with a resounding crack. He stumbled backwards with a scream and an oath, and the first guard began howling where he lay writhing on the floor. A figure sprang on top of him and buried the rapier in his throat, silencing him.

Sheik threw himself upon the second guard, going blind and deaf in his fury as he lay into his enemy without mercy, pummeling and cracking and beating until his fists were drenched in blood. He did not stop, not even after the guard had died of trauma. Sheik's rescuer had to drop his blade and grab onto his arms to cease the useless violence. Once the young man had been pacified, he broke down and wept.

His hero, none other than Leith himself, gathered Sheik into his arms and cradled him for a few moments. "It's all right, Ilya," he said in a steady voice. "It's all over. It's done. You're safe."

Sheik smiled through his tears and choked, "You were almost too late."

"I'm sorry. I had to wait until the guard had removed his armor. I couldn't slay him otherwise."

"You had planned to kill?"

"No. But I changed my mind."

Sheik gulped and wiped the blood spatters from his face, gazing out at the two dead bodies lying in bloody pools on the floor. "You are going to be in so much trouble," he said shakily. "They will sentence you to death."

"I care not," said Leith. "Besides, they must catch me first. On your feet, Ilya. I have to take you from this wretched place now."

"Wha-?" Sheik started, but the older man pulled him to his feet and was racing him down the stone stairs before he could say anything further.

"There are many reasons why you are being so severely punished," Leith explained as they hurried from the west tower, "but even I knew not the real reason. Hold your questions—I must tell you the truth before either of us is discovered or killed.

"On the way to your cell I was forced to take a secret passage I had learned from looking at old structural diagrams I unearthed in the hall of records. I never thought that anyone aside from myself knew of its whereabouts, but apparently I was wrong. There is a hidden room that runs along this passageway, and it was there that I happened upon Counselor Mortimus and Sage Rauru in the middle of an argument concerning you."

"_Me?_" Sheik echoed, trying not to trip over his own feet as Leith jogged him down the main corridor of the west wing.

"Yes, you. I must have a gift for being in the right place at the right time. As shocking as this may be to you, Ilya, I need you to remain strong if we ever hope to see Link alive again and a Hyrule free of corruption."

"I will try," Sheik vowed.

"That is all I need." Leith drew in a breath. "You never knew this, Ilya, but your mother was a royal guardian the same as you. The unwed King Zurden had fallen in love with her, and continued to have an affair with her years after his marriage to the Queen, to whom he had been betrothed in order to unite Hyrule with a neighboring kingdom. It was a political marriage, which is why Zyrden continued seeing your mother in secret.

"It all seemed fairly harmless until it became apparent that your mother was pregnant, and Sage Rauru dismissed her from her duties and sent her back to Kakariko. He told Zurden that it was best if the King never saw your mother again, and he was heartbroken. What Rauru failed to tell him was that he had planned to have your mother killed, but the attempts failed for unknown reasons.

"Several months later a child was born who did not look like the other Sheikah, a bouncing baby boy with golden hair like his Hylian father and scarlet eyes like his Sheikah mother. That child was you, Ilya."

Sheik's feet suddenly forgot how to walk and he nearly fell flat upon his face. Leith picked him up and forced him to keep moving through the halls of the castle. "Don't give out yet! You promised that you would be strong, and I expect you to keep your word."

"I . . . Yes, I'll. S-so I'm . . . I'm-"

"The son of King Zurden, yes. And a few years later the Queen gave birth to Zelda. You are siblings, though only by half-blood. The Queen died a year later from fever, and Zelda was named as the heir to the throne of Hyrule. However, no one knew of your whereabouts, save for Zurden and Rauru. Defying the Sage's advice and desperate to see his son, the King allowed your mother to visit the palace as a sort of diplomat of the Sheikah people. Your father loved you, Ilya, and it filled him with sadness that you could not be by his side every day.

"When Rauru discovered that your mother was still living, he was outraged. When you were barely six years of age, he had her secretly executed, and made to look like a natural death. He had plans to exterminate you as well, but King Zurden announced that you were to be a future guardian of the Royal Family, and you were sent to live in the palace. Though your father mourned the loss of your mother, he was at least consoled by the fact that he could keep you by his side where, little did he know, Rauru dared not touch you."

"You mean to tell me my mother was killed by-"

"Yes. But I am not yet finished; Rauru then employed Mortimus as Royal Counselor, and together they devised some kind of horrible plan to seize the throne of Hyrule, for whatever reasons they did not say, and I haven't a clue. But regardless, Mortimus is a man of dark magic, and he used his powers to slowly poison the King until he died, leaving behind his young daughter as the new monarch of Hyrule. They have since been manipulating her at their leisure, using her to gain power over the throne.

"When Hyrule was threatened by Ganondorf, Rauru selected you to aid your half-sister by trading bodies with her. If Zelda were killed in your body, your mind would be forever trapped in hers in a state of perpetual sleep, and by default the Sages would have power over Hyrule, and the leader of the Sages is Rauru."

"Dear gods."

"But Zelda made good use of your body, and Link succeeded in destroying Ganondorf, and so Rauru's plans to seize the throne fell through. Ilya, you are in grave danger now, for as the eldest child of the son of the King, you are the rightful heir to the throne, and Rauru knows that you will and cannot be so easily manipulated by his powers as Zelda. That is why he is so bent on your destruction, not because you discovered the truth about your people, but because you are to be the next ruler of Hyrule!"

Leith shook his head sadly. "There are dark days ahead, mark my words. What has the world come to when former friends stab each other in the back and men of light associate with men of corruption? Ilya, I know in my heart that you have the power to rise up against this madness and defeat it, to reclaim your rightful place in the monarchy and purge it of all its impurities! Rauru knows this, and he will stop at nothing to destroy you. Hyrule is not safe for you now, so I will help you escape to safer grounds. However, the time will come soon when you must return, and become who you were born to be."

"Who I was born to be?" Sheik echoed.

"Yes, Ilya: Prince of Hyrule and true heir to the throne!"


	22. Stairway to Heaven

The ground was buried beneath five inches of snow and still more of it was falling by the time Leith and Sheik emerged from one of the many side-exits of the castle. They had no time to submit to the awe-rendering sight spread out before them, but hurried toward the stables.

The royal courtyard was blanketed in white, the green leaves of the carefully pruned trees sealed in icy glass shells, and the moat was frozen solid. The coldness was biting, so terrible it was that it chapped and made raw any exposed skin. It was so frigid that Sheik's teeth were chattering in a matter of moments after being in such conditions. Leith gave him his cloak, though it wasn't much. It was still better than nothing.

Upon entering the stables they heard an excited whinny and discovered Glynfrid tromping anxiously about in his stall. The horse seemed to know that adventure was afoot and was eager to be a part of it. Sheik smiled at the familiar sight of the creature, suddenly very grateful for anything that reminded him of the small goodness still left in the world.

"I'll take this one," he told Leith. "He knows me best."

Quickly the two men gathered up saddle and bridle and readied Glynfrid, who was quite cooperative for once. Once harnessed, Sheik sprang into the saddle and asked, "Where am I to go?"

"Anywhere that takes you from this place. You won't get far if this weather takes a turn for the worst. The closest village is Kakariko, but I wouldn't advise going there unless you had no other choice."

"Then I am off to Lon Lon."

"The ranch? Are you mad? It's too far away—you'll be frozen before you get there!"

"Glynfrid is a swift runner and I'm carrying no other baggage. I'll make it, Leith. I have to."

The chamberlain made a grim face and nodded. "Very well. Assuming you do manage to reach Lon Lon, what are your plans?"

"I'm not sure," said Sheik, "though I will try to find Link and Veil. They need help more than I do right now. The future of the world is my first concern; politics comes later."

Leith grinned despite himself. "Spoken like a true prince."

"Don't coronate me just yet," the Sheikah said modestly, then nodded to his mentor. "What of you? If they discover what you've done you'll be sent to the gallows."

"I've spent my life serving this country," said Leith determinedly. "I won't let Mortimus and Rauru take it without a fight. If there is any sense left in the Princess' mind, I'll find it yet and use it against them."

"Assuming that she still has a mind left after all the lies they've been polluting her with," muttered Sheik. "I hope that she will be all right."

"I will look after her as best I can," resolved the chamberlain. "You must leave now, before the weather worsens."

Sheik blinked back the tears in his eyes. "This is not a good-bye," he assured confidently. "I will return."

Leith nodded. "I know it. Gods be with you, Your Highness."

"And you, Leith."

A look passed between them, and then Sheik nudged his heels into Glynfrid's side. The horse neighed and galloped from the stables into the white world beyond.

* * *

The snow was falling steadily as the afternoon began to turn into evening across Hyrule Field. Epona briskly trotted over the gently rolling hills that were now blanketed in new snow. As far as the eye could see everything was white and gray, and if one stared long enough they would begin to get the odd feeling that there was nothing left of the world but a cold bright void that spread out before them, leading nowhere but onward into perpetual nothingness.

Veil was enjoying himself immensely as he craned his neck back and gazed up at the clouds, pelting Link with questions of why and how until Link finally gave up and allowed the encyclopedic Navi to answer his queries. The fairy kept herself huddled in the hood of Link's cloak, trying not to be churlish with the shadow as he asked childish questions (it was only the weather making her short-tempered).

Suddenly she became very alert, and interrupted Veil's latest inquiry about where snowmen lived during the summer to say, "I hear something."

As a fairy, Navi was blessed with hearing much more acute than any beings', and whatever she heard was cause enough for her to leave the protective shelter of Link's hood and fly up above their heads a few feet. She instantly burst in alarm, sending out a rain of sparkles before she dived back down into the hood and cried, "Bounty hunters!"

"What?" Veil exclaimed. "What are those?"

"Damn," uttered Link. "How many?"

"Six. They're tearing towards us from a quarter league north. They'll be upon us in a matter of minutes!"

"How far to the forest?"

"At least four leagues," said Navi. "There's no way we could outrun them!"

"We're not going to run from them," Link said courageously. "Fleeing does nothing but prove our guilt. We have a better chance of making it if we pretend we are a couple of travelers. Veil, pull your hood over your face and hunch your back. I have an idea that just might save us."

In a few short minutes there was a thundering of hooves from behind them and several rough voices shouting for the horses to slow. Link eased Epona into an ambling pace and allowed the mercenaries to catch up. The six lean, unkempt, and barbaric-looking men circled them like hungry wolves until Link brought Epona to a halt.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" he asked with a steady voice.

There came the low rumble of chuckles among the mercenaries, and the leader of them said sarcastically, "Aye, maybe so. Ya haven't seen two young fellows riding out of Hyrule on a horse, have ye?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid not," Link said as he shook his head. "I've seen no one, at least by this path."

"Where ya goin'?" one of the men growled.

"To Kokiri."

"Are ya? I've never heard of it."

"It's a village in the Lost Wood," answered Link. "My grandfather here is very ill and I heard that there might be a cure for his ailment in Kokiri."

"A likely story!" one mercenary scoffed.

"Don'tcha ken that nobody's made it out 'o the Lost Wood before?"

"Yes, but I'm willing to risk it," said Link with bravery.

The leader of the bounty men brought his horse alongside Epona and glared at the Hylian and the stooped, cloaked old man in the saddle behind him. He curled his lip in contempt.

"Yer either daft or a liar," he said to Link, "but I'm willin' to bet yer a lot of both."

Link urged Epona forward and to the side, out of the reach of threat. "Listen sir, I have no time to entertain your antics," he snapped. "The weather is getting worse and my grandfather's health causes me to bring this little conversation of ours to a close. I bid you and yours a good day."

As Link was turning Epona to depart, one of the mercenaries closest to them spurred his horse forward and drew a long wooden staff from a sheath on his back. With stunning speed and precise aim, he struck the cloaked figure in the saddle behind Link and sent him flying off of Epona with a sharp cry.

"Bastard-!" Link swore, jerking the reins while the bounty hunters roiled with excitement when the hood of Veil's cloak slid away to reveal his face. A thin stream of blood was trailing from his nose and running down his lips. The shadow reached up with a trembling hand and touched the warm red liquid, staring at the smears of it upon his fingertips with a horrified fascination. Then his face twisted into a grimace of agony, and he let out a low moan as he huddled himself into shuddering heap upon the snowy ground.

"Veil? Veil!"

Though he knew the last thing he should do at this point is dismount, Link was overwhelmed with concern and he leaped from the saddle, running to his twin's side and gathering him up while the mercenaries laughed out loud.

"Yer grandfather, eh? Ha ha! And I'm queen 'o the daisies!"

"Shoulda known it was them all along!"

"Ya think we're stupid, ya runts?"

"Ha ha! Just look at that one cry!"

Link ignored the jeering men and dabbed up the blood on Veil's face with the corner of his cloak. "Veil, are you all right? What's wrong?"

The shadow opened his red-rimmed eyes to groan, "Oh Link! It-it hurts me!"

"It can't be," he uttered. "You're not supposed to feel pain. You _can't_ . . ."

Veil wrapped an arm over Link's shoulder and begged, "Make it stop. Please, just make it stop!"

A shadow fell upon them and the Hylian looked up to see the leader of the mercenaries grinning evilly down at them from atop his horse. "It seems yer little shadow there wants to be put out of his misery. We'd be more than happy t' do it for him if we wasn't promised an extra thousand rupees for yer live capture."

"A thousand? Is that all?" Link scoffed bitterly as he dragged Veil to his feet. "Seems to me you're working a bit cheaply."

"Shut up yer stupid mouth, boy! There was nothin' in the fine print about returnin' ya undamaged, so the both o' yer better do what-"

A bright light suddenly flew into the man's face and began making sharp dives at his eyes. It was none other than Navi, who was extremely upset at Veil's cruel treatment (and also a trifle angry at being exposed in this horrible weather).

"You listen here, you braying ass," she cried as she bravely pecked at the leader's face, "leave my friends alone and go back where you came from before we get rough!"

One of the nearby men laughed. "Looka that, mates! A little fairy givin' orders to a big man! Ha!"

"Navi, stop it!" Link shouted. "You're going to get yourself hurt!"

"These brutes need to be taught a lesson! They can't expect to just—_augh_!"

The lead bountyman had managed to swat her away with his hand, sending her cart-wheeling through the air and into the snow.

"Navi!" both Link and Veil exclaimed.

"I'm all right," came the muffled voice as the fairy dragged herself from the small hole she had made in the snow.

Veil, his own pain forgotten, scurried out to scoop up the fallen fairy and returned to his twin's side. Link stood defiantly before the mercenaries and wished he hadn't strapped his sword to Epona's saddle; she was surrounded by the other men's horses and unable to come to him even if he called.

"Veil," he whispered, "it looks as if we've got to fight ourselves out of this one."

"Consider me your right hand," he answered firmly.

"Listen, brats," the leader growled, "tryin' to squirm yer way out of this ain't goin' to help ya. You'd be best off just lettin' us drag ya in."

Veil wiped his bleeding nose on his sleeve and said, "I'm afraid we can't do that. Please, just step aside and let us pass. We wouldn't want to hurt any of you."

"Hurt _us_?" The mountain of a man and his band of followers laughed at the top of their lungs, as if even the idea that two teenagers were capable of standing up against six full grown men armed to the teeth was too ridiculous to even consider. "You talk a load of shit, boy! Nails, Duke, take 'em out!"

Two of the meanest looking scoundrels of the entire group lunged forward on their horses and plowed toward Link and Veil. The two young men stood their ground as the mercenaries came thundering down on them. Veil placed his hand on Link's shoulder, and wordlessly the Hylian raised his left hand. It burst into flame like a torch. The mercenaries' horses reared back in fright to avoid the fire, and sent their riders tumbling off and cursing into the snow.

"You think a little spark can stop us!" their leader brayed.

"Yes," Link answered, drawing back his arm and pitching a solid ball of fire toward the hunter, who leaped off of his horse with a scream. It had been a narrow miss; he rolled about in the snow, swearing, to extinguish the flames licking his cloak.

"Link!" Navi cried. "You just summoned Din's Wrath! No wizard or warlock in Hyrule has ever been able to accomplish such a feat!"

Link gazed down at his very ordinary looking hand. "I suppose there's a first time for everything," he said.

"Ya snotty, wretched whelps!" The fallen mercenary had crawled to his feet and drawn his sword, his eyes dark with fury as he stared at the two outlaws.

"Touch my soul, Veil," Link whispered, and the shadow stepped close to his twin, reaching beneath Link's cloak and placing his hand to the small of his back.

"Kill 'em both!" was the leader's command, and there came the sound of steel sliding from hilts and bows being notched with arrows.

Link closed his eyes.

"Ah. Nnhhaa," Veil moaned softly, swaying on his feet a moment before tumbling to his knees. "L-Link, it's too much. You're g-going to-"

A second later, the Hylian was enveloped in orange fire from head to foot. Veil let out a strangled gasp, and his hand slipped away as he fell onto his back in the snow. Navi flew above him, panicked, calling his name and trying to rouse him.

The bounty hunters shouted amongst themselves in disbelief at the sight they were beholding:

Link appeared to be locked in a trance. He stared straight ahead with eyes fixed upon some invisible point, and slowly took a step forward. Though his body was consumed in silently billowing flames, his clothes and flesh were neither scorched nor burned. However, the snow on the ground around him liquefied from the intensity of the heat. When at last he looked up at the lead mercenary and spoke, his voice seemed to resonate from the very air itself, though his lips never moved.

"The world is approaching its end, and Hyrule and all in it will perish if we cannot find a way to stop it," came Link's eerie tone. "Anyone who stands in our way will be destroyed, by either the collapse of this mortal realm, or by me. Decide now which it will be."

The fire began to change. It glowed yellow first, then green, then blue, and finally flared up into a brilliant, blinding white. The hunters recoiled.

"He's a bloody sorcerer!"

"Demon's what he is!"

Several of the mercenaries turned their horses and fled from the scene as quickly as they had arrived. The few remaining seemed petrified and unable to move.

"Forget the bounty, Tob! T'ain't worth dyin' for!"

"Let's get out of 'ere!"

If the bountymen weren't convinced before fingers of flame began to arc from Link's body like solar flares, they certainly were convinced now. Their leader sprang onto his horse and tore in the opposite direction after his retreating mates. Epona remained behind, snorting softly and pawing the ground. In a little while the sound of hooves pounding into the snow had faded and the men had disappeared across the horizon.

The fire surrounding Link faded to orange again before extinguishing completely when a snowy breeze swept over the hill. He sighed as if in relief and slumped to his knees.

"Link! Are you alright?" said Navi, alighting upon his shoulder worriedly.

"I feel fine," he said. "I just sort of . . . lost it there for a moment."

There was a grunt beside him, and Veil sat up and looked around. "What happened? Where did the men go?"

"They left," said Link, turning to give a smile to his shadow, then stopping short. "Veil . . ."

"Yes?"

"Your eyes," Link murmured, leaning forward to touch the cheek, warm now for the first time. "They're . . . and your hair, it's-"

"What? Is there something wrong?"

Link lurched to his feet and jogged to Epona, drawing the Master Sword from its sheath and striding toward Veil with it. The shadow was terrified for a few seconds before Link knelt down in front of him and held the blade so that he could see his own reflection.

Murky blue-gray eyes. Dark hair that shined brown in the light. Dried red blood on his upper lip. Pale pink cheeks and ruddy fingertips. He touched his face as if he had never felt it before. Color. _ Color_.

Joyous tears stung Veil's eyes, and he gazed at Link in stupefied awe. "I . . . I'm alive," he whispered.

A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and the two young men gazed up at the heavy dark clouds amassing low in the sky. The wind picked up, colder than anything they had yet felt and bringing with it heavier snow.

"This isn't good," Navi said softly as she scrambled into Link's collar for shelter.

"We need to get moving before the weather gets any worse." The Hylian helped his shadow to his feet. "How do you feel, Veil? That was a lot of soul energy I used back there. You're not wounded, are you?"

"I feel fine. Well, my nose hurts and it's awfully cold, but it feels . . . it, it _feels_. _I_ feel." He laughed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Even pain is wonderful after a lifetime of numbness."

"And I'm sure this is just the beginning," said Link, ushering Veil into the saddle. "Come on, we haven't got a moment to lose."

* * *

Hyrule Field had become a freezing white wasteland, tormented by gusts of arctic winds and a merciless hail of ice and snow. Sheik pressed himself against Glynfrid's neck for warmth and shouted encouragements to him over the howling tempest. Barely a half hour after they had set out for Lon Lon, the storm descended upon them with blistering cold temperatures and fearsome gales that threatened to sweep Sheik from the saddle. The unfortunate horse and his rider had found soon themselves in the midst of a blizzard that was ten times windier and colder than any that had befallen Hyrule since the beginning of time.

Ice clung to the Sheikah's hair and eyelashes, so cold that it stung like needles and forced him to squint his eyes until he could scarcely see a thing. His legs were growing numb and he had already lost the feeling in his hands. He knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the cold death would work its way into the core of his body and slowly begin to shut it down. And to make matters worse, Sheik could barely see three paces in front of him and was afraid that they were going the wrong way. It was impossible to tell direction without a compass in this storm, and the clock was ticking. If Sheik wanted to live he was going to have to find Lon Lon within the next ten minutes, or else freeze to death with Glynfrid in the middle of the field.

Frustrated tears froze halfway down Sheik's pale, frostbitten cheeks as he fought the urge to close his eyes and go to sleep. He knew he would never wake up if he did.

"C-come on, G-Glyn," he stammered between chattering teeth. "J-just a . . . little bit f-further. We should b-be there by now-"

The snow beneath the horse's hooves gave way suddenly and sent him sliding down a small bank. Sheik was thrown from the saddle but his foot caught the stirrup at the last moment—he swung about wildly and fell headfirst toward the ground. He felt something hard strike into the back of his skull, and the last thing he remembered was gazing up at falling snow—beautiful, beautiful snow—and seeing his mother's face smile down at him. Her crimson eyes were radiant and lively, her expression filled with the warmth and compassion that lived on only through a child's faint memories.

"_Mother_," Sheik spoke in his people's tongue, reaching out to touch her. "_Iivna_ . . ."

Then she disappeared, and everything went black.

* * *

**HJB:** Apologies for such a short chapter, but I figured a little would be better than nothing. If you're interested in reading the full unedited version of this story (which I highly recommend) please visit my profile page and click on my homepage link. From there you can find your way to my Legend of Zelda section. _Soul Shadow_ is far from abandoned, and I can't thank you readers and reviewers enough for your praise, criticism and support since 2004 when this story began. I hope that you'll continue to read and enjoy _Soul Shadow_ despite its slow and lengthy progress toward completion.


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